


The City Sleeps

by Skullszeyes



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Angst, Blood, Blood and Torture, Car Chases, Cryptic Messages, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, POV Third Person Limited, Paranoia, Psychological Trauma, Slow Burn, Traumatic Amnesia, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8473516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullszeyes/pseuds/Skullszeyes
Summary: Evan was given a cryptic message and meets with a more cryptic friend who is a lot stranger than he usually is. Delirious is on edge and when he smashes Evan's phone, Evan learns the truth that's been bothering his friend. That maybe the mission he was denied will be the one he'll finish. They just have to locate their friends and figure out what exactly happened in the last week.





	1. the city sleeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss came home to an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought of focusing this a bit on Vanoss and Delirious. I like psychological mystery and such, but I might do it badly. So, I hope you don't mind.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

Evan frowned at the message he received. It was ten at night and he just returned from grabbing himself a box of pizza. He sat in his car in front of his house, staring down at his phone.

Lui: _Don’t let him go anywhere._

He sighed and stepped out of his car. Making sure it was locked. He carried the pizza and didn't bother checking if his front door was locked. All the lights were on, including his TV and his game console. He set the box down on the counter and walked into the living room where he found a dark haired male wearing a blue sweater sitting on his couch with his controller in his hands, eyes glued on the TV.

“Hey, Vanoss,” Delirious greeted, focused on the screen.

Evan furrowed his brows and turned on his heels, he walked back into the kitchen where he opened the box. His ear twitched at a soft curse before everything went silent. Delirious ambled into the kitchen.

“Why are you ignoring me?” he asked as Evan bit into his pizza and narrowed his eyes at him. Delirious bit his lower lip and reached for a pizza, Evan swatted his hand away. “Aw, come on, Evan. Don’t be like that.”

Evan chewed on his piece and swallowed. “Get out.”

Delirious wrinkled his nose. “No.”

He thought of the text from Lui and wondered why Delirious was here. From what he remembered, Delirious went on a mission with Wildcat and Miniladd a week ago and wasn't supposed to return until next Thursday. Something must have happened, not like Evan really cares since he wasn't allowed on the mission and Delirious didn't bother vouching for him.

He wasn’t the type to hold grudges, but there were too many nights when he spent money on Delirious and he went broke right away. This wasn’t going to be one of those nights. He didn’t care what Lui’s cryptic message meant, or why Delirious was in such a good mood.

He slumped his shoulders, “Delirious, get out of my house.”

“Evan. Come on, you’re not going to be mad forever, right?”

Evan pointed to the door. “Out.”

“It was one mission,” Delirious said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“One mission,” Evan said, quiet. “I spent most of my damn nights planning that mission and you didn’t bother voting me in.”

Delirious frowned. “It wasn’t just me, you know. Wildcat and Miniladd didn’t even want you to go either.”

Evan sighed, shaking his head. “What do you want from me?”

“Five minutes. Give me five minutes to explain,” Delirious said, staring directly at Evan with a pleading look in his eyes.

Lui’s text flashed in Evan’s mind and the curiosity of why Delirious was here came to life again. He wondered where Wildcat and Miniladd were.

“Fine. Tell me,” he said, pulling a chair out and sitting down. Delirious did the same, clasping his hands on the table, but Evan could see him glancing at the pizza as he wrinkled his nose. For good measure, Evan bit into his piece.

“Things went wrong,” he began which did not surprise Evan. He set the pizza down and took out his phone from his pocket, what did surprise him was Delirious reaching across the table, avoiding the pizza from sticking to his clothes as he grabbed Evan’s phone. Evan held tight as they were inches from each other’s faces, Evan glared while Delirious gave a subtle tilt of his lips that looked equally cheeky and innocent.

Evan tugged back, at the same time, using his free hand to shove Delirious back. “What the fuck, _Jonathan_?” He never used his real name, not unless they were alone or Delirious decided to do something strange like what he just did now.

Delirious clenched his teeth, staring at Evan’s phone. “Don’t call or text anyone.”

Evan’s brow arched. “Why?”

“Because...”

“You said you were going to explain.”

Delirious frowned, almost looking petulant as he looked down at his hands. Evan almost had the urge to ask Lui what was going on. He never seen this kind of behavior with Delirious before, there had to be a reason why he didn’t want him to text anyone.

“Why are you back early?” Evan asked, setting his phone down beside the box.

Delirious stared at the phone and ignoring his question as he asked, “Can I have a slice of pizza?”

Evan rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

He quirked a smile as he reached for a piece and took a bite. Evan watched with a small satisfaction, but he couldn’t ignore the tense air that surrounded them. Nor the hostility that Delirious showed him, he never initially grabbed his phone before. He wondered if this was how his victims felt when they were attacked by him, the thudding of his heart hadn’t gone down and his mouth was dry already. He was slightly shaking, which he shouldn’t be since he never feared Delirious before. Just the sudden act of entering his personal space and trying to take something of his cracked the barrier he always had around him.

Delirious chewed on his pizza until it was gone. Evan stood from the chair, he felt eyes on him but he tried his best to ignore him as he opened the fridge and pulled out two cans of beers. When he turned around, Delirious had both their phones in his hands.

“What are you doing?” Evan asked, cautious as he set the beers down.

Delirious didn’t answer him, not right away as he stared at his own phone, his brows creasing before glancing at Evan’s.

“Lui texted you.”

“Yeah, he’s the one we report in after we’re finished a mission.” From the way Delirious is acting, it doesn’t seem like he did. “Delirious...”

He looked up at Evan, his mouth parting. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before turning around and throwing his phone across the room where it smashed into the wall near the glass window.

Evan’s mouth fell open as the parts scattered while Delirious stomped on his phone until it was broken completely.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Evan asked, glaring.

Delirious’s hands were shaking, his breath coming out in short pants. He shook his head and walked around the table.

Evan stepped away. Shock rippled through his body, taut and alarmed. 

“We don’t have time for this,” Delirious said, reaching for Evan’s arm and tugging him toward the front door.

Evan yanked his arm out of Delirious's hand. "Why did you smash my phone?" 

Delirious clenched hus teeth, shaking his head. "I can't...not here."

“Why?” Evan asked.

“Your place...It might be bugged.”

“I was here all day.”

Delirious frowned, and since he arrived, spouting nonsense and breaking his phone, Vanoss's heart sank when Delirious said, "No, you weren't."


	2. On The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious knows this fear, his body feels it, yet his mind can't fill in the pieces. He lost a week and he's trying to stay ahead of whoever is coming after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. I lost interest in what I wanted to do with this story. I changed some things to make it a little more realistic-ish.  
> I hope you enjoy. :)

Delirious covered Evan’s mouth with his hand. He clenched his teeth and looked around the hall before tilting his head to the side toward the front door. Evan glared and shook his head.

“We don’t have time for this,” Delirious said, voice quiet as he reached into Evan’s pocket for his car keys and grabbed his arm, dragging him from the house.

“Let go,” Evan said, fortunate to keep his voice down.

Delirious clenched his teeth and tugged hard until he shoved Evan outside. Delirious closed the door and locked it with the keys, he let out a sigh at how difficult those several seconds were.

Evan extended his arms out. “What the fuck, Delirious? What is going on?”

The questions stunned Delirious before he shook away the feeling, he couldn’t answer him, they were too close and he didn’t want to have this conversation out in the open. “Get in,” he said as he unlocked Evan’s doors.

“What about _your_ car?” Evan asked, plopping into the passenger seat.

“I don’t have it,” Delirious answered, turning the engine on and pulling out.

“Why?”

Delirious was silent, the words felt trapped inside of him. Locked away where he knew if Evan could see, he’d understand with enough suspicion that made Delirious sick. He didn’t have time to answer his questions. Not when they were close to his house, he needed to distance themselves where he could properly think of a plan.

His mouth was parched, he licked his lips and said, “Someone could’ve bugged your house when you picked up your pizza.”

Vanoss secured his seat belt and narrowed his eyes at him. “I was gone only fifteen-twenty minutes. There is no way—”

“—someone could’ve got into your house and bugged it without disturbing anything,” Delirious interrupted, his heart thumped rapidly in his chest, beating against his ribs.

“Are you serious? What the fuck is going on?”

Delirious slowed the car down as they came to a stoplight. He couldn’t tell Vanoss the truth, not now when it was still hazy in his mind. The pieces barely fit together and if he started spouting things, he’d have a hard time convincing Evan of the truth.

“Where’s Miniladd and Wildcat?” Vanoss asked, voice resigned.

The light switched to green and Delirious drove, the fluorescent street lights spread out in blurry lights as he drove past. He turned down the window just an inch to feel the cool wind against his hot skin that made his clothes feel uncomfortable.

“I don’t know,” Delirious whispered, gripping the steering wheel harder.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Evan asked, turning his body toward him.

He could feel Evan staring at him, waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, he didn’t have one. He kept quiet as he drove, trying his hardest not to make it seem like he was glancing at the rearview mirror every five second.

“You have to tell me something, _Jonathan_.”

Delirious breathed in deeply, hearing his name uttered from Evan in a soft pleading tone made him unravel, yet he wouldn’t tear himself from revealing anything. Not yet. Not when the truth was so far from his own grasp that giving Evan false hope would simply be a misunderstanding. Evan might even hate him for forcing him out of his house and driving through the streets when he could be at home with his pizza.

“Soon,” he said.

Evan shook his head and slumped against the seat, he turned away from Delirious and looked out the window. “Where are we going?”

 _I don’t know._ “Somewhere quiet.”

“Anywhere specific?” Evan asked.

“No.” Delirious turned down a street and kept going until they were close to a bridge. He drove beneath it and spotted a grove of homeless people in tents and garbage bins that were lit on fire. Several people huddled around it wearing ragged clothes. He slowed the car down and turned the engine off. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to say anything, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before getting out.

Evan followed, both of them slamming their doors at the same time.

“Are you going to tell me why we’re here and what’s got you riled up?” Evan asked, rounding the car.

Delirious leaned against it, pushing back his hair. “I can’t.”

“What?”

“I can’t,” Delirious repeated.

“Why are we here then?” Evan asked, obviously annoyed by the night's events that transitioned to this.

Delirious rubbed his hands together. “I can’t remember.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s exactly what I mean, _Evan_. I can’t remember what happened. We left for the mission, we almost finished the damn mission and then nothing. I can’t remember what happened. All that I do remember is that I woke up on the side of the road in the desert.” He pushed himself away from the car, his hands running through his hair before his nails scraped against his scalp. “I.. I hitchhiked from the desert and rode the bus to your place because all I could think about was that I hope to god they didn’t get you either.”

He didn’t realize he was shouting and that he was also hyperventilating until Evan was in front of him, holding his arms and slowly bringing his hands away from his head. His breathing hurt so badly as if his ribs were squeezing his lungs.

“Breathe,” Evan said softly. “It’s okay, just breathe.”

Delirious nodded and it took awhile for him to gain back control, and sure he had to wipe away a few tears when it was too much. But he finally managed to breathe properly. They sat on the sidewalk in silence.

“You were alone,” Evan wondered, quiet.

Delirious sniffed, “I had no money to call anyone and no one bothered picking up a hitchhiker. So I walked, trying to remember what happened in the past few days..it has been a few days, right?”

Evan frowned, brows furrowed. “A week. How long do you think you’ve been gone?”

Delirious turned his head away from Evan, glancing down the street. The shadows loomed and yet his own fears were still pounding with his heart.

“I figured it’d be a week, but it feels longer than two,” he answered.

“You didn’t bother heading to Lui’s after you got back into the city?”

Delirious’s brows pushed together, there was something about Lui that bothered him. Not because he had the thought in his mind when he got back into the city, maybe Lui could be the answer, but his instincts screamed at him. Urging him to go to Vanoss before it was too late, and yet he had no idea why.

“I had to make sure they didn’t take you.”

Evan frowned, clasping his hands together. “Who’s _‘they’_ and .. are you implying that Miniladd and Wildcat are also gone.”

Their names struck him, a stinging pain that shot him to his feet. “We have to go.”

“What?” Vanoss asked, surprised. “Delirious. What are you so freaked out about...and.. Why are we leaving my car here?” Evan called as Delirious walked down the street, away from him.

A headache formed and it was getting painful by the second. “W-We.. have to go.” He didn’t understand it, but it was a fear he had no name too. A struggle that his body recognized, and yet his mind was trying to connect to it, to catch up. He had to remember before they find them, before they find Evan.

But.. who are they?


	3. Lonely Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan is trying to piece everything together, but when he learns of the affliction across Delirious's body, the pieces become jagged.

Evan made sure the doors to his car were locked before catching up to Delirious. He didn’t understand why Delirious was so paranoid, but something happened to him.

_ He lost his memory. _

Evan frowned and wondered what was going through his mind. What he thought of when he hitchhiked to a bus stop and made his way back into the city. The desperation was there, so easily placed that Evan was afraid. Delirious never made any serious decisions: breaking his phone, driving or just simply losing control until he had an anxiety attack.

Delirious never had anxiety attacks, he was never this paranoid, this confused. 

Evan didn’t know what to do, he wanted to call Lui and find out what happened to Delirious that made him lose his memory. There were only so many things that could do that. 

“Are you armed?” Evan asked.

Delirious patted his sides. “Whoever dumped me in the desert took my guns. So no, I don’t have a weapon.”

“What is the last thing you can remember?” Evan asked, walking faster to match Delirious’s pace.

Delirious tilted his head to look at the dark sky. “Lots of shooting, running, then someone punched me in the face.”

“They knocked you out?” Evan frowned.

“Probably, I don’t know.” He shrugged like it didn’t matter.

Evan didn’t know how to interpret what really happened with Delirious, but from his shift in topics and the way his voice didn’t quaver—worried him. There was something else going on inside Delirious’s head, alternating the objectives and his emotions. 

“Do you have any injuries?” 

“Can you stop asking me questions. Just leave it alone.” 

Evan’s mouth fell open in shock and confusion. He didn’t know what was happening but it was getting even stranger. “Delirious.. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Evan reached for his arm and stopped him in the middle of the street, it was dead and quiet, but whatever paranoia and agitation Delirious was experiencing minutes ago was gone. “Delirious, you have no memory of an entire week, you woke up in the desert,” he said slowly, watching the way Delirious scowled at him, trying to pull away. “You came to my house because you said someone was coming after me, and now you’re making it seem like it was a fucking joke.”

Delirious yanked his arm free. “Stop it, okay. Just stop.”

“Do you have injuries or not, Delirious?” Evan was shouting, he couldn’t stop himself, not the fear he knew something was seriously wrong.

Delirious cursed and yanked his sweater zipper down and shrugged it off, letting it fall to the ground, before pulling off his shirt. “There.. Happy. Now I’m fucking half naked,” he said, dropping his shirt. “You want me to take my pants off too?”

Evan examined the expanse of Delirious’ chest, there weren’t a lot of muscle, but he was thin. He reached over until his fingers glided over a large bruise smeared across his left rib, it was healing but it looked painful. He acknowledged the burns and bruises littering his wrists, something he didn’t notice back at his house when Delirious grabbed him. There were several cuts on Delirious’s shoulder’s, they weren’t fresh, maybe several days old, some dipped down his back. Evan turned Delirious around to see the marks. It wasn’t as deep, but there were stitches holding a few together.

“It hurts,” Delirious said, his voice low, shuddering from the small touch of Evan’s fingertips as he turned him around again.

Evan breathed in deeply before bending over and grabbing Delirious grey shirt and sweater. He passed them to him silently as he pulled them on.

“You didn’t say anything,” Evan said, quietly.

Delirious sighed, shoulders slumping. “I have no answer to these marks on me, Vanoss. Why would I tell you anything when I have no fucking idea?”

Evan raked his fingers through his hair, not able to get the image of the wounds on Delirious’s body. “We have to contact someone, Delirious. You were with Miniladd and Wildcat, they haven’t reported in either. They could be in the same shape as you.”

Delirious was shaking his head as Evan pleaded, a sob escaping his lips. “We can’t. We can’t. We can’t.” Delirious kept repeating over and over, covering his face with his hands.

“Why not?” Evan asked, the question felt heavy, full of panic that he couldn’t stop looking at Delirious as he crumpled to his knees, mumbling over and over again as tears streamed down his face.

The words had changed, shifting into something else as Evan knelt down in front of him. He restrained his anger, his worry, knowing that Delirious couldn’t be coaxed by it. 

“I can’t remember, I can’t remember, I can’t remember. It won’t come back, Evan, it won’t come back, I can’t remember, I can’t remember.” Delirious shook his head, wiping away the tears.

“Delirious,” Evan said, soft, reaching for his hands, he was careful not to touch the wounds, “we have to tell someone. Lui, Nogla, Cartoonz, Moo Snuckel, anyone. We have to tell someone what happened, they can help us find out where you were in the past week, and who has—”

“No,” Delirious yelled, grabbing Evan’s arms and pulled him close until they were centimeters from each other. “We can’t. Okay. We c-can’t contact Lui.”

Evan frowned, he clenched his teeth at the sharp pain in his arms, but he didn’t pull away. He remembered the text message he received the second he parked outside his house, the way it it was short and unlike Lui who usually had a joyous and cheeky way to his messages. Or the way Delirious lunged for his phone when he told him about the message. The sound of his phone smashing against the wall before falling to the floor in pieces flashed in his mind, loud and intense. Delirious wouldn’t answer his question, he didn’t want to contact Lui, he didn’t want to ask him for help.

“Why?” One word with so much depths that Delirious pulled away, his expression fell into the same desperation and shock. He didn’t want to force Delirious into a numbness where he tried to recollect the lost memories, he could tell how difficult it was to maintain himself because of the affliction. The wounds wouldn’t help either, something happened that made Delirious’s mind fold into itself.

“He was there,” Delirious whispered, he shuddered, hugging himself as he stared at the ground. “He was there...I-I heard him.”

Evan furrowed his brows, waiting for something more, but this was it. This was what he was asking for. An answer. “Lui messaged me, Delirious.. Back at the house.” Yet he recalled the way Delirious shoved him out of his house, saying it might’ve be bugged.

Delirious shook his head, his eyes closed tight. “He was there, Evan. I heard him.. I heard him.”

The street was still dead. The wind cold, pushing against them as Delirious mumbled to himself, and Evan trying his hardest not to think of the worst possibility of how Delirious could’ve heard Lui. He tried his best, but it was there, growing inside his mind until the realization was firm and intent.

“He’s with..” Evan cleared his throat, “w-with.. Wildcat and Miniladd, right? That’s the only possibility of how you could’ve heard him. He’s not in the city, and whoever has them, has his phone…”

“They knew,” Delirious looked at him, “they knew I would come for you. I had to find you, I had to get you away from them.”

“What did Lui say? Can you remember?”

Delirious shook his head, groaning. “It hurts, my head hurts.”

“Don’t force yourself, Delirious. Just let the memory happen, okay. But if you’re right and that they have Lui, then we’re not as far as we should be.” He wasn’t entirely sure who, but the mission he worked on, the one he planned articulately was the only lead he had in mind. 

Except the place was across the country in a secret laboratory that’s supposed to be under the books, no radar, no map location. This place was hidden well in the mountains. Yet Evan studied it well, he knew where it was, and he knew the entire inside layout. 

Evan felt a chill work its way up his spine, his instincts screamed and he grabbed Delirious, making sure not to hurt him as he pulled him to his feet.  “We have to get out of here, we have to make sure the others aren’t in the same circumstance as we are.” 

Delirious nodded, trailing behind him. Before they could get far, a car turned around the corner and slowed at the sight of Evan and Delirious. For a second, Evan didn't think much of it.

“T-They found us, they found us, Evan,” Delirious yelled, reaching for Evan, his hand wound tightly around his wrist.

All Evan saw was the blinding light and the sound of the car screeching before he was dragged into a dark alley.


	4. My Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious and Vanoss managed to run from whoever was chasing them. Vanoss wants answers, except Delirious still can't remember. They get in contact with Ohmwrecker and find out something happened to Bryce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a bit messy, it's been awhile since I've written for H2oVanoss. I'm not really sure of writing this ship as a ship anymore. I really like they're friendship a bit more. 
> 
> And, I'm a bit self conscious, someone on tumblr had a post that it's creepy to write about actual people instead of fictional characters from movies/books and anime. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy nonetheless. :)

The street was darker than he remembered. Each step he took was heavier than the last. The night air with cold wind, twinkling stars were no friend to him. His breath stuck in his throat that when he stopped, he fell to his knees, gasping. Gun fire jolted him back and instead of choking on a dead street, he was running down an alley, gripping Evan’s wrist.

The screeching of a car pushed him to run faster. His legs burned, heart raging against his chest. He couldn’t stop, an innate familiarity washed over him. Flashes of images tearing into his mind, screaming in his head, he tightened his hold on Evan’s wrist as they rounded a corner. He wasn’t sure how far they ran, but as he took Evan into an alley, they slowed their pace.

Evan wrenched his hand out of Delirious’s. “What..the..fuck?” he breathed, glaring at Delirious.

He sniffled, watching the two exits on either side. The car drove after them, but after two blocks, it was gone. He found that suspicious and was unsure of what to do next. There was no where to go and he knew that they were watching the others in case he went running for them.

He pressed against the wall and groaned. “Fuck.” He forgot the wounds marring his entire back. The heat rose, pain clouding his mind.

“Who were they?” Evan asked, stepping closer to him.

Delirious shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You have to know something, Delirious.”

He tensed, turning away from him. He was conflicted. The answers were there, but they weren’t scratching the surface of his mind. It was impossible to remember and it hurt to even try. There was some distinction, a gut feeling that whoever had done this to him was bad, and they were coming for them. A quivering paranoia cutting deep into his mind where the most important parts of him were vulnerable.

“We have to get out of here.”

Evan reached for his arm, tugging him back. “I know you can’t remember, but tell me where we’re going?”

Delirious nodded, slow. “I don’t know. Somewhere they won’t find us.”

“And do what exactly? Hide until they go away? We’re operatives, Delirious, we should gets some guns and shoot these pricks.” Delirious looked at him and there was a sense of urgency that persisted to this idea, his fingers twitched, as if trying to hold onto a gun, to grasp it.

“We have to go,” he said, glancing around the corner. The streets were dead, no sign of the car.

Vanoss sighed. “We should get in contact with someone.”

“No. Okay, stop bringing it up,” Delirious said, turning around to look at Vanoss and saw his best friend arch a brow at him.

“We’re going to have get some help, Delirious. Whoever did this to you has three trained operatives, one of them deals with our planning. We can’t leave them, nor the ones who have no idea what is going on.”

It made sense, even though apart of him wanted to object. He followed Vanoss out of the alley and down the street. He made sure that he stood near the curb. That he was the one who would be hit first if the car decides to appear again and shoot them. They headed down several blocks until they found a pay phone. Vanoss dug in his pocket and took out some change, popping the money in and dialing Ohmwrecker’s number.

“That’s his cellphone, right?” Delirious asked.

Vanoss nodded. “It’s a secure line.” Delirious wasn’t sure if it mattered, these people had his own cellphone, and Lui knew most of their numbers off the top of his head.

“Hey,” Vanoss said, greeting Ohmwrecker, but right away Delirious could tell something was wrong by Vanoss frowning, his brows pushing together, “what? Where are you? What happened to Bryce?” Delirious grabbed the phone out of Vanoss’s hand. “Delirious!”

“Ohmwrecker.”

“T-They took Bryce.. I don’t know who they are, but they have him!” He sounded out of breath, panting hard in the phone. A loud ringing sound cut through, followed by another sound and Ohmwrecker grunting. “Shit, I’m losing him.”

“Where are you?” Delirious asked, frantic.

Ohmwrecker told him the second his line cut off. Delirious breathed deeply, dropping the phone on the hook and dragging Vanoss away from the store.

“Where is he?” Vanoss asked.

“Several streets down,” Delirious said, the lights were blinding, and the people went silent. All he was aware of was the touch of Vanoss’s wrist where he wrapped his fingers around, and the sound within his own head.

“Delirious!” It was Lui. It happened too quick, flashing, glaring lights amidst the dark of the room. “Get up,” he yelled, falling to his knees and pulling Delirious in a sitting position. From the confused and stunned look, he noticed the blood, the sticky warmth cooling down on his skin. “You have to go, Delirious.”

“You’re not supposed to be here…”

“What?” Vanoss asked, standing beside him, looking at him curiously.

Delirious shook his head. “N-Nothing.” He picked up his pace, knowing for sure that if he fell back in his head, he’d miss the opportunity of saving another friend. He couldn’t miss it, not like before.

They ran across the street once the light turned green. The name of the street Ohmwrecker gave him ran through his head over and over again. He turned down an alley with Vanoss. Without the loud cars that masked the noise, he noticed the helicopter in the air, a gun went off.

“A block ahead,” Vanoss said.

They took off again, the sound was louder, growing. They caught Ohmwrecker in a split second, running with a gun in his hand before disappearing along the other street. Delirious turned left down an alley with Vanoss, both panting hard with the same rhythm of beating hearts. Except Delirious knew that Vanoss’s mind was more complacent than his own. His rung with lights and gunfire, the sound of his own screams, along with Wildcat’s and Minilad’s. A rush of memory faded with Lui’s face.

They cut through a yard and Vanoss ran up the stairs to an apartment complex when he noticed the helicopter was rising. Delirious caught sight of Ohmwrecker shooting at the helicopter.

“Give him back, you bastards!”

Delirious glared up, but all his emotions seeped away once he caught sight of Bryce. They had tied a cloth around his head, a part of it in his mouth with his arms tied behind his back. Whatever he was saying behind it was muffled by the helicopter as it began to rise. What he didn’t expect at the last moment was to see Vanoss jumping for the helicopter itself from the top of the apartment complex.

And Ohmwrecker managed to get a shot at the pilot, tipping the helicopter to one side.


	5. Crisis

It was a risky move, he knew it was, but he made it anyway. Delirious called his name, but the blades of the helicopter blocked it out. Vanoss needed to concentrate more on what he was doing. He gripped the bar and pulled himself up.

Before he could scramble in the helicopter, Bryce yelled his name through the rope tied over his mouth. He was shoved over, holding on to Bryce and for a second, he thought he was falling to his death. Both Delirious and Ohmwrecker’s voices melded together before cutting out as he slammed on the roof. 

A gasp tore itself from his throat. His ear twitched through the ringing and when he opened his eyes. Bryce was being dragged by the rope tied around the chain of his handcuffs. He was screaming through the rope as his arms were brought over his head, legs flailing out, trying to grasp on to something that wasn’t there.

Besides the staircase to the roof, there was no other railing that could stop Bryce from going over. 

“Shit..” Vanoss rolled on his side and rose. He bolted after Bryce, trying his hardest to ignore the pain along his sides. He glanced up at the helicopter, the man who shoved Bryce off wore an entire bodysuit, face covered. He dropped the end of the rope as the helicopter ascended in the air.

They wouldn’t be able to track them, but that wasn’t his priority as Bryce began to roll, trying to stop himself before going over the edge of the roof.

“Bryce!” Vanoss watched the rope trailing behind before reaching down and grasping the end by five inches, it burned his hands as he gripped it tight. Bryce’s weight almost pulled him over, but was grasped by Delirious and Ohmwrecker.

“Bryce!” Ohmwrecker yelled, grabbing the part of the rope that Vanoss didn’t have and pulled, while Delirious held Vanoss and kept him steady. Bryce hung over the building, yelling through the rope tied around his mouth. 

He hadn’t thought he’d jump for a helicopter in a rush to save Bryce, but end up burning his hands while dragging him up a building. The transition amazed him as he, Delirious and Ohmwrecker tugged Bryce up.

Ohm was frantic as he untied the rope around Bryce’s mouth. The sides were red from how tight it was, and he was breathing hard, wrists bruised and arms sore. The back of his shirt was torn and bloody from being dragged.

“What happened?” Vanoss asked after Ohmwrecker managed to calm Bryce down, he was trembling under Ohmwrecker’s arm that was wrapped around his shoulders, his eyes strayed from the rest of them and seemed more focused on the trail of blood.

“We were at my place, playing games… they came in, put a gun to my face and tied up Bryce.” Ohmwrecker sighed, squeezing Bryce’s shoulder. “I killed the two men they left behind.. Probably either to watch me or kill me in my own apartment. I tracked down the helicopter and tried my best to shoot out the two men holding Bryce.”

“You shot the pilot,” Vanoss said, shrugging. “Why would they kidnap Bryce and shoot you?”

“Ohmwrecker was the threat,” Delirious answered, voice solemn, he had his arms crossed and was frowning down at Ohm and Bryce. There was something there in the way he held himself, a regret that filled his eyes. 

Did it concern what happened to him. Of course it did, if these people took Tyler, Craig and Lui, and later tortured Delirious, they’d surely go for the others in the city. They were coming for him before Delirious intervened. He was on high alert, adrenaline coursing through him and he understood the paranoia Delirious felt not too long ago. 

This was becoming extremely sensitive. 

“We don’t even know the group that’s doing all this,” Vanoss said, shaking his head. The helicopter was untraced by no label, while the men on board wore all black tactical suits, masks covering their faces.

“Crisis,” Ohmwrecker said.

Delirious frowned. “Are you sure?”

Crisis was a mercenary group, they handle underground contracts from anonymous organizations. Some affiliate with the ones who always target their own members. They usually go for the higher up contracts. Their own group keeps away from the others. They might have become more of a threat than they thought.

Ohmwrecker shrugged, exhaustion swept across his face. Eyes drooping, body sluggish. “I checked the men I killed. They aren’t as proficient than you’d think.”

“Where’s the bodies?” Bryce asked, looking up at him. 

“I left them at the apartment,” he answered, shrugging again and leaning his head against Bryce’s. “What’s going on?” This was meant for Vanoss and Delirious. A question that wasn’t rushed nor demanded, a silence that needed to be filled.

Vanoss bit his lip. He was still aware of the pain, a clashing heat, bruises blossoming underneath his skin. Tentative, puckered and swelling by the second. He felt it in the way the world wobbled and Delirious held him up.

Delirious explained and Vanoss stayed against him, hands trembling as he curled his fingers in his arm. As if he’d float away in this unbearable pain. He had to remind himself over and over again that he felt worse. That he went through worse and he came out of it, that he was still on his feet.

He breathed, in and out, and slowly he let go of Delirious and stood by himself. A control he mustered with each breath, because if he didn’t have control. He wouldn’t be able to protect Delirious from the people who were hunting him and everyone else around them. 

“Have you checked the others?” Ohmwrecker asked.

Delirious shook his head. “We weren’t sure…”

“Things could get hectic if we don’t do anything,” Vanoss said.

Ohmwrecker looked down at Bryce who was still shaking, but no longer looked disturbed by what happened. His face coated with sweat, and when he tried to shift, he winced.

“I have to get Bryce to a safe house,” he said. 

“They might be compromised. Take him to a motel or something,” Delirious suggested.

Ohmwrecker nodded. “How will I get in contact with you?” 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Vanoss said, “right now you have to protect Bryce. We shouldn’t know where you two are going either. It’s best the four of us are kept in the dark at this point.”

Ohmwrecker helped Bryce stand. It was difficult to move him, he winced and inhaled every so often and the blood itself seeped through his torn shirt. Delirious left to find a payphone so they can take a cab. Vanoss stayed, rubbing his hands together but finding he was wringing them to stop his shaking.

“Is there anything else we should know besides what Delirious already told us?” Bryce asked, shoulders tense, he gripped Ohm’s arm.

Vanoss took off his sweater and passed it to Bryce. He gave him a smile as Ohm wrapped it around him. The image of Delirious standing on a street with his shirt off, his entire back marred with thick scars that were stitched up, puckered and red. He walked down a barren road on his own with nothing else on his mind, but to get to Vanoss.

Regret seized Vanoss, it made him shudder than the cold wind touching his arms. He gave them a nod, knowing that Delirious should be on his way back soon.

“He was tortured...and when they were done, they dropped him off in the desert. They left him to die.. Not knowing he’d survive it,” Vanoss said, shrugging, not looking at their faces.

“That job.. You planned it,” Ohmwrecker said, quiet.

Vanoss nodded. He planned the entire excursion, it was his job, not Delirious’s, except he was voted out. He thought it was a waste of time when they left that night. He wouldn’t have known that it would end like that. Their jobs aren’t usually compromised, and when they are, they’re able to handle it.

“It’s not just Delirious, Tyler and Craig, he heard Lui in the skirmish.” Ohmwrecker and Bryce shared a confused look. “I thought Lui was in the city, but I guess he got snatched as well.”

“What do we do? We can’t sit around and do nothing,” Ohm said, running his fingers through his hair.

“I know. Right now, you have to stay with Bryce, until we figure things out. We can’t be roaming around the city, completely open for the enemy to grab us,” Vanoss said. He wasn’t sure about this plan either. Bryce, at the moment, was a liability, he was also an easy target.

Why did they want Bryce? Maybe they needed someone else to torture.

Delirious returned, waving his hand at Ohm and Bryce. Vanoss helped them down the steps, while Delirious told Ohm to make sure Bryce doesn’t make it obvious he’s bleeding. They don’t need suspicion from a cab driver.

After the cab drove off, the police arrived. Vanoss and Delirious were walking down the street where they turned in an alley. Vanoss slowed his pace to give himself a reprieve from the pain of falling off an helicopter. The bruises would last for some time.

“What now?” He glanced at Delirious.

“You’re the one that wanted to make sure the others are safe,” he said, tucking his hand in his pockets.

“We need to make sure they’re safe, Delirious. Look what happened to Bryce and Ohm. They were attacked, if we didn’t decide to find them, Bryce would be taken and Ohm would probably be dead.”

“You don’t know that,” he said, “Ohm found Bryce, he was desperate to save him.”

Vanoss smiled, looking down and feeling for once a sliver of defeat. “In one way or the other, Ohm would have ended up dead, and Bryce would be in the same position as you were.”

Delirious stayed quiet as they stepped out of the alley. Vanoss didn’t take back what he said, even if he wasn’t sure that he was right. Maybe Ohm would have saved Bryce. There were too many possibilties that they needed to make sure of.

“Who lives the closest?” 

“Moo Snuckel?”

Delirious nodded. A car drove around a corner, it didn’t stop as it skidded along the road towards them. Delirious stepped back, grabbing Vanoss and shoving him into the alley. The car slowed and when the window slid down, Delirious relaxed. Vanoss looked over his shoulder, heart thudding in his ears.

“Cartoonz?”

He waved, wearing a grim frown. “Get in.”


	6. Confliction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious is having a hard time trying to trust his own friends, and when he gains back a certain memory, he doesn't ignore his own pressing guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. I did consider rewriting this entire story, since I did add some unnecessary plot holes that none of us should look at. Hehe~ Yeah... terrible writing on my part, I might even try and fill them up in the coming chapters. :)

“How did you find us?” Delirious asked. Vanoss was lying in the back seat, an arm over his eyes. Cartoonz hadn’t said anything since he picked them up, but there was an underlying rage beneath his silence that irked Delirious.

“It was a bit more difficult than you might think,” Cartoonz finally answered, giving Delirious a smile. “It was by chance.”

“So you were driving down the streets… for how long exactly?” Vanoss asked, lifting his head and looking at Cartoonz who glanced at him through the rear view mirror.

“An hour ago when I got a message from Craig—”

Delirious grabbed his arm, an impulse reaction that sent his mind spinning, eyes already wide in fear that thudded in his veins. Cartoonz gripped the steering wheel, the car shifted along the road before he righted itself. Vanoss, unfortunately fell off the seat.

“Delirious!”

“Miniladd got a hold of you?” he asked, ignoring Cartoonz’s glare.

“Yeah,” Cartoonz said, watching the road, “an hour ago I just said.”

“What did he say?” Vanoss asked, pulling himself on the seat.

“He told me to get a hold of you. Said you’d know what to do,” Cartoonz said, frowning. “What’s going on, Delirious?”

Delirious sat back against his seat, staring out his side of the window, watching the lampposts fly by. It wasn’t until they slowed down at a stop light when the thoughts twisted around inside of him, trying to make sense of what Miniladd said to Cartoonz. He knew what he meant, but how did Miniladd get a hold of Cartoonz and why? Did he know that contacting anyone else would be more suspicious, or did he know that Cartoonz would be the only one he would inevitably trust. Besides Vanoss.

He couldn’t stop the paranoia crawling along his skin, messing with his thoughts.

Waking on the hard ground with arid wind pressed against his cheek. Memory spent, fear digging in his skin, pushing him to walk miles, breathing desperation.

He was still afraid and unsure why.

“I failed my mission and was left to die in the desert,” Delirious said, he leaned forward and felt underneath the seat, he knew it was there, grasping the handle of the handgun, he pulled it loose and checked the clip.

It was loaded, he knew it was, he just had to reassure himself before turning the gun on Cartoonz.

“What the fuck, Delirious!” Cartoonz yelled.

Vanoss sat up, pressing his fingers on the seat and pulling himself up. He glanced at Delirious and the gun, “What are you doing? He’s here to help us, Delirious. We need friends.”

Shaking his head, it was too obvious not to see, Miniladd wouldn’t have messaged Cartoonz unless Cartoonz knew what was happening. He was an easy target, someone who would knock him off his axle. They’re using his best friend.

“We can’t take any chances,” he said, hand shaking, he gripped the gun too hard. This all had to be a lie, something to twist him up about the implications that began in the facility. The voices he heard, the things he witnessed. The pain in his back throbbed, reminding him of the truth that still hid from him.

“Delirious, he’s your best friend,” Vanoss yelled from the back, “why would he betray us?”

“That's exactly what _they_ want,” he said, sure of it, even if it hurt to think of it and the look on _his_ face made his eyes burn, “let us out, Cartoonz.”

The car slowed down next to the street, and Delirious got out. Still pointing the gun at his glaring best friend, he glanced at Vanoss.

“Get out.”

Vanoss shared a look with Cartoonz before he nodded. Vanoss opened the door and slid out.

“I’m sorry,” Vanoss said.

Cartoonz shrugged. “I’ll find out what’s going on. Look out for this fucking idiot.” And then he was gone.

Vanoss was frowning, watching the car disappear before turning to Delirious who shoved the gun in his sweater

“What the fuck, Delirious? He was helping us.”

Delirious shook his head, smiling, but couldn’t rid himself of this sinking feeling in his chest. “We can’t trust anyone.”

“You mean _you_ can’t trust anyone.”

Was it true that he couldn’t, or that maybe Vanoss didn’t understand yet what it meant to keep him safe. He scratched the back of his neck and winced, he soothed the wound with his finger. Skin trying to reknit itself from what his body went through that his memory couldn’t tell him.

“Let’s go,” Delirious said, not looking at Vanoss as he strolled down the sidewalk. At first, he thought maybe Vanoss wouldn’t follow him and that maybe he was okay with that. An indecisive moment warring inside, the gun was heavy in his pocket, and the seam holding him together seem to stretch, trying it's hardest to snap.

Delirious stopped, ear twitching at Vanoss scuffing his shoes on the cement several feet behind him. He raised his head, looking up at the sky that was blurred out by city lights, and he smiled. It wasn’t a smile that he was content with his decisions, no—it was one that knew he was heading in the wrong direction. Everything was lost to him in this moment. Empty of memory, sore from damaged wounds.

A jagged piece under shadowed stars.

“Where are we going?” Vanoss asked, stepping beside him, voice softer than it was before when he was angry.

“The city sleeps,” Delirious said.

_“Go to my apartment,” he said, fingers digging in his arms, shoving him forward, “Vanoss knows the passcode, and don’t take all night to get back.”_

“Are you okay?” Vanoss asked, his voice sounding far away as the world tipped to the side.

Delirious shook his head, he hadn’t realized what it was. A flash of something that happened, but Lui’s voice was discernible this time, more certain that he was truly there in the first place amongst the noise, the pain.

Vanoss grabbed his arm, keeping him upright. “Hey, Delirious.”

_“What are you doing here?” Miniladd whispered in the dark._

_“I’m filling in for Vanoss.”_

_“He’s going to be pissed once we return,” Wildcat said, standing close to him._

_Delirious checked his gun and the magazine’s he brought. “He’ll get over it.”_

They were getting ready to leave that night. Confident they’d get it done. What happened during was still a mystery, but his memory was returning. Slowly, and uncertain, but he could still hear Lui’s voice in his head.

“Vanoss knows the passcode,” he muttered, looking up at Vanoss.

“What?”

“Lui… he said you knew the passcode.”

Vanoss’s brows rose. “You remember.”

Delirious shook his head and managed to stand. “No. It came to me.. A snippet of when Lui told me to leave the facility, and before we left.”

Vanoss frowned, but it wasn’t for the lack of memory that Delirious was trying to locate. “You knew Lui went when I wanted to go.”

“You were voted out,” Delirious stated, shrugging.

“I,” Vanoss stepped closer, “planned that mission.”

“And look what happened,” Delirious countered. Things had gone to shit and he wasn’t sure what the mission was truly about. He wasn’t given much detail besides a vial and some documents.

The facility was government use. He already knew about that detail, and most anonymous organizations around the country know not to snoop around facilities like that. Unless they want a bullet in their head. Delirious had taken the risk, knowing they’d get away with it. It wasn’t the first time they infiltrated a government building, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

Maybe the risk had seduced Vanoss to take it, except he wasn’t allowed to go. If he were, would things be different. Would Vanoss have saved them with wit and intellect, or maybe his usual instincts would intrude past it.

No use thinking about it.

“What passcode did Lui mean?” Vanoss asked, stepping back.

“I don’t know,” Delirious said, giving a sheepish smile, “he only said that you would know and that whatever it is would be in his apartment.” Rushed, a flicker of pain in his shoulder and the night was still alive. Was it two hours since they left Vanoss’s house, or maybe it was less.

His gaze moved to the street where Cartoonz was. The weight of his regret made him sick in the stomach, but the memory flourished from that moment of panic. He wouldn’t dwell too long on it.

“Whatever it is, must be important,” Vanoss said, “he hides information to most of us—secret things that shouldn’t be known too all. Depends what it is he wants us to find. Maybe that is what made you come to my place, to get me to look for whatever Lui wanted.”

Delirious shrugged. “Maybe.” There was something else, and until his memory fully returned, he’d have to stay with Vanoss and trust his instincts. Even if he made the wrong decision, he’d have to make it right eventually. “Let’s go see what Lui wanted you to find.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was depressed when I wrote a bit of this chapter and almost cried when writing the part with Cartoonz. :( I could feel the subtle betrayal, and Delirious's paranoia. :/)  
> I do write them a bit OOC, I can't exactly grasp Delirious in a serious situation when he's so hilarious in his videos. I apologize for the personality shift.  
> Like I said at the top, I won't be updating constantly, not until I get my laptop. :)  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
> Please leave a kudo or comment, it helps with motivation and reminds me people actually like my stories. :D


	7. Operation Scorpio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss is left to contemplate what happened in the last hour or two. The reasons to why this began, and to his own decisions, but he's interrupted and is forced to run with the one thing that could help him and Delirious find the others.

Vanoss stuck a piece of the metal barb in the lock, twisting the second piece when he managed to lift the edges until they heard a soft click. Vanoss licked his lips, and was about to twist the doorknob when Delirious’s hand came down on his shoulder.

“What if Lui has traps?”

Vanoss arched a brow. “We disabled them outside.”

“That was a manual fix on the power box, he might have another…”

Vanoss shook his head, rising to his feet. “Don’t worry about it, Delirious,” he reached for the knob and pushed the door open, smiling at Delirious’s flinch as he looked down in the dark hall, “the only thing he secures is his laptop.”

“He’s not as paranoid?” Delirious asked, stepping cautiously in the room with Vanoss who flipped a light on.

“He doesn’t need to be,” Vanoss said, smiling over his shoulder, “he has the rest of us.”

“You’re sure about that?”

Vanoss looked through the apartment. The power was slowly returning to some places in the building, no one will think twice about it. They’d only think it was a power shortage of some kind.

“Wildcat and I tried it once, we managed to get in and it only took Lui a few moments to realize it.”

“What did he do?”

Vanoss shrugged. “Offered us a beer to explain our process and told us not to tell anyone else.”

Delirious sighed, looking around the TV mantel and counters where several knickknacks sat. “He doesn’t have pictures of himself, or even his girlfriend and family members. Nothing of us.”

“This isn’t his main apartment.” Vanoss walked in Lui’s bedroom and touched under his pillow, under his bed, in his closet where he found burner phones piled inside a bag. Everywhere else was clean. Delirious stood in the hall frowning as Vanoss passed him a phone.

“Apologize,” Vanoss suggested as he wandered in the living room and kitchen.

“He’s probably pissed,” Delirious said, laughing nervously.

“He won’t be if you say something,” Vanoss said, digging through several drawers, “where the fuck is his laptop?”

He heard Delirious sigh and close Lui’s door. Vanoss continued to look around. He recalled what Delirious told him on their way to Lui’s flat. That Lui was the one who managed to help Delirious escape the facility so he can get Vanoss to use his passcode. He wasn’t sure what it was that he was meant to look for when he found the laptop.

The bedroom door slammed open a moment after and Delirious came rushing from the room. The phone still in his hand when he said, “Cartoonz is in trouble.”

“What?” Vanoss followed Delirious who was on his way to the front door. “Delirious, what’s going on?”

He spun around, heaving out breathes, clutching the phone. “He went to Brock’s apartment, but he’s gone. The place is trashed.” He ran a hand through his short cropped hair, “He’s looking for him when I called, but the phone went silent mid- _fucking_ -sentence.”

Vanoss knew that Delirious would go looking for Cartoonz, it would be cruel to make him stay. “Go. I still have to look for Lui’s laptop.”

Delirious hesitated, “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah,” Vanoss said, wondering if Delirious would be fine on his own.

“I’ll be back when I find him.” Then he was running down the hall to the staircase.

Vanoss closed the door, making sure to lock it and flipped on a light. He grabbed himself a burner phone from the room and began looking for Lui’s laptop.

Everything that happened was still bothering him and now that they were separated. He has some time to think about the situation he’s in.

The mission was meant to be stealth only. A simple in-and-out operation with few casualties. From the information he scavenged with Lui and doing his own recon, he knew how to get in the facility, a list of notable employers and what kind of support they have if they were attacked.

Crisis was one of the major support groups for this facility. Except they’re more of an underground resource and they usually perform cleanups, not a tactical division. They were extending their reach and were doing a fine job at it.

He wouldn’t deny it made him nervous, not just Delirious’s erratic behavior that was uncalled for, but that the mission didn’t go the way he planned it. Even when Lui replaced him.

He wasn’t feeling good the night they were meant to go. He wanted to proceed nonetheless, but the others knew better. He would be a liability if he didn't focus, and being sick would ruin the operation. He thought it was stupid and wanted to reschedule but he also knew that wouldn’t work either. Several of the employer's left the facility, including two divisional groups, leaving the facility with a skeleton crew. This was one of the only times they were to get in-and-out without too much tactical resistance.

Vanoss looked at the cupboards in the kitchen and pressed his hands against the walls within. Checking each one until he felt something hollow. He leaned up, touching the inside frame and tugged on the wooden end with his fingertips and pulled the panel free. Lui’s laptop was sitting inside upright. He took it out and placed it on the counter, opening the laptop and turned it on. A light lit up around the power button, he kept his finger pressed down, letting it scan his print before the screen turned on.

He pulled back. It was designed for Lui by several unknown contacts. The exterior base looked normal, but the interior was designed for Lui’s hand prints on the keys, and other personnel modifications by his request.

Including a self destruct sequence that appeared on the black screen, white letters and a timer lit up. He had a minute to figure it out.

What most didn’t know is that Vanoss knew Lui’s passcode, he was there when Lui got the thing built, and they established the secrecy within. Lui kept secrets from all, but passed each one down individually. One secret, a piece of an intricate puzzle that kept them all together, and made sure their group wouldn’t work without one another. They were all friends and they knew none of them would bother with betrayal.

Since the facility and Delirious’s erratic paranoia, Vanoss wasn’t sure anymore.

He sighed and typed the pass code. It was a long sequence of numbers that were patched in by a rhythm.

Lui made him memorize it for an evening when the laptop was finalized. Out of all their friends, he had chosen Vanoss for this because most thought he was important enough to know Lui’s secrets, that he was the real leader when in truth, Vanoss wasn’t. They didn’t really have a leader amongst their numbers, they were all skilled differently, and were given objectives to fill those particular skills.

Because of this, it was either Lui or Vanoss’s call to set the wrong pass code. Something that was like a burden, all those little details set in his memory to his fingertips. A catalyst they’ve become. The screen lit up, brighter than it was before files lining the sides of the dash. He brought a few up and scanned them until he stopped at one.

Operation Scorpio. He opened the file and there it was. All his research, everything he looked up and passed over to Lui when he was voted out. The location, the blueprints he scanned when he hacked in a building that was connected to the facility, including the employers names and routine. There were air ducts, an escape tunnel beneath the building, and a sewer line with two different junctions that lead to a river across the mountain, another to the ocean. He tracked most of the escape protocols, and made sure there would be no casualties.

When he briefed Lui on this mission, Lui was unsure about the cost of what will happen when something goes bad. They never hit a government building head on without precautions, and Lui didn’t know much besides what Vanoss gave him. Except Vanoss was confident about this mission, and he did remind Lui that they were running out of money. They didn’t have any work in the last few weeks, the information they’d steal would help them get off their feet.

Lui agreed, and it all went to shit. Vanoss had thought many times, what if he was there? Would things be different? Now, he didn’t think so, he’d be in the same position as the others. Maybe in a worst state than Delirious, maybe dead.

A knock at the door made Vanoss go still. He looked toward the door, first thought was Delirious, second thought was the bathroom window. He slowly closed the laptop and walked to the bathroom as quietly as he could, he held the burner phone in his hand, and the laptop in his other. Another knock, a sound of heavy boots shifting as Vanoss closed the door and locked it. Knowing it would do nothing to stop these people. He placed the phone and the laptop on the seat of the toilet, stepped in the tub and shoved the window up, propping it with a bottle of shampoo.

He scrambled to get the frame off when the men began slamming on the front door.

His heart jolted when the door hit the wall, his ear twitched at the sound of boots on the tile floor, mind counting how many of them entered automatically. Four Crisis members.

He shoved the frame off and it went flying in the bushes below. Gritting his teeth at the height. He was four stories high and swore under his breath at Lui. There was a ledge, too thin as he reached back for the phone and laptop. How he was getting down without falling and breaking something or getting shot was going to be difficult.

The knob wiggled as he slipped through the small window, his breathing uneven and his hands were already clammy.  

“Fuck, fuck, fuck fff—” he placed the phone in his mouth and tucked the laptop under his arm. He didn’t want to break it, not until he had a moment to check everything he already knew from the information, as well with whatever Lui added.

He wanted Delirious to get to Vanoss so he can check it. It made sense that this was more precious now that he unlocked it.

The bathroom door slammed open as Vanoss looked down at the next window below him that had a closer ledge. He moved down, keeping his hands firmly on the ledge before a tip of a gun peeked through, followed by a masked wearing man, yelling something inaudible in his comm.

Vanoss gritted his teeth and slipped as the man fired. He grasped the second ledge but the laptop slipped from his arm, he didn’t hear the smash as he bit down on the phone from the pain ringing in his ears. Wood splinters flew past him as he brought his legs up, gripping the edge by his fingertips and made sure to grasp the lower ledge when another shot rang past.

 _He’s at a terrible angle._ Vanoss looked down, it was dark with minimum light from the street when he jumped.

There was no other way he could get down without getting shot. He rolled when he landed, twisted around and grasped the laptop, he didn't have any time to check if the screen was smashed. He took the phone from his mouth and had a second to look up to see the man was gone when he sprinted away from the apartment. They’d be coming after him in no time and there was nowhere for him to go.

He was holding something that was either broken, and was important enough for them to grab. It only made him more protective over it.

He dialed a number on the phone when he activated it. Most phones would get an activation code that would set the phone up, but the ones Lui had were similar to the laptop. All it needed was a set of numbers displayed on the back that wasn't from a company.

He called a cab and told them where to meet him. His heart pumped heavily in his chest as he ran down the road.

He had to get to Delirious, he had to survive this and to somehow finish what he started without getting himself captured or killed.


	8. fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious looks for Cartoonz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been some time since I updated. My bad. I've been procrastinating, and dealing with other projects. :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.

His heart pounded in his ears as the wind pushed his hair back, cold and biting against his cheeks and neck. He grit his teeth, guilt ached in his chest, closing in like claustrophobia. He didn’t hesitate when the choice presented itself. His fear, worry and shame won out, and he’d make it up to Vanoss.

Delirious shuddered, not because of the cold seeping in his sweater, but because of the stitches along his back, the deep marks that mar his skin. He blinked a few times, trying to ease the phantom pain, but it wasn’t the same as some illusion that beckoned him to believe it, it was real in all its gory forms.

He wanted to stay in his paranoia, he wanted to take Vanoss from the house and fade into the night. Except things were beginning to clear, his mind and the memories. He wasn’t sure what was real or at least what effectively functioned. It was always the questions that bared its teeth at him whenever he got too close, the scrapes of falling on the ground, rolling on his back to see the stars glinting down at him, the screaming that left his throat hoarse when they tortured him until all his mind could do was try and forget it.

He was inevitably saving himself from the pain.

It no longer mattered what happened to him, what they did to him. He was more concerned with saving his friends, and right now, all he had was Vanoss and Cartoonz.

The desperation made him want to cry, but he shoved it back and took out the burner phone, dialing Cartoonz’ number, hoping to get a response.

“Please answer,” he whispered under his panting breath.

It took some time, hearing the dial tone before it went quiet and he slowed his steps.

“Cartoonz?” But the silence beckoned the truth and he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall before he could crumple inside of him.

“Too late, buddy,” a sly voice said, followed by a chuckle. “Jonathan, is it?”

Delirious gritted his teeth, body shaking. “Who is this?”

“It’s me.” The voice was familiar in its sarcasm, flashes of memories of the room where they tortured him, the voice resided there beyond a white light, a shadow of a being with rough hands that held a sharp knife. “Gideon. I can’t believe you forgot me already, we had so much fun together. Chris remembers you, don’t you Chris.” Someone laughed in the background, a gun went off that jolted both Delirious and Gideon.

“Holy shit,” Gideon laughed.

Delirious furrowed his brows, straightening up. “He’s still alive, isn’t he you _son-of-a-bitch_.”

“Language,” Gideon said, his voice lowering, no longer filled with sarcasm, “he won’t be by the time you get here.”

The phone went dead and Delirious was already down the alley. He waved to a cab and got in when it stopped for him. He told the driver Moo’s address and waited anxiously as the car drove.

He watched the buildings pass him, all the people that walked the streets, it moved in a blur. Mottled and stained as the sky with its many sprinkled stars, and for once he sank against the seat and eased his beating heart to a steady rhythm.

There were too many things he had to think about, too many directions he wanted to go in, but he wasn’t sure what he was meant to do. First there was Vanoss in all his casual grace, the one who knew how to calm him down, the one he went to try and save. Miniladd and Wildcat were the next ones, they were still captured and he didn’t want to imagine what they were going through. Lui being the one who always seemed to know what was going on had sacrificed his freedom so Delirious could save the others.

He clenched his teeth, trying to still his heart from hurting. He knew he wasn’t doing what Lui wanted, now that Ohmwrecker and Bryce were targeted, it made it worse that Moo and Cartoonz were dragged into it.

He had to do something before he faded away into his fears. Succumbing would be easy, oh how he wanted too, but doing something reckless was more like him. He wouldn’t let the scars that still burned on his back frighten him into submission. It wasn’t like him.

He told the driver to stop a block away before paying the man. He got out and waited until the cab was far away before he went for the alley, melting into the shadows, he gripped the gun in his hand, checking the magazine before peeking around the corner to find the front of Moo’s place was covered with police.

He grit his teeth and stepped back. There was no way in hell Crisis would allow themselves to get caught by the police, and Cartoonz was resilient enough to get away before he was handcuffed.

Maybe it was the only way to get away from Crisis, but he doubted it.

Delirious made his way down the alley, checking the street and crossed to the next alley. It was dead besides a few people that were standing outside watching what was going on. They didn’t notice him disappear into the darkness.

Cartoonz had to be somewhere close by, or maybe he did get caught. Delirious sighed, unsure of what he was supposed to do and how he was meant to track Crisis down if they truly captured Moo.

He was afraid for the others as well. What if they were targeted. He could call Nogla, or even Scotty, he couldn’t handle the others being pulled into this mess.

He checked the next alley, almost losing hope when he heard the sound of footsteps getting closer. He gripped his gun, pointing it at the alley to his left, there was nothing but darkness and the dim light of the next street. The shadow grew larger and didn’t seem to notice as their head was turned, pointing something down the alley before noticing he was standing in their way.

“Delirious!”

_Cartoonz._

“I’ve been looking—”

“Run, you dumb idiot,” Cartoonz yelled, grabbing his arm and dragging him down the right alley.

Delirious turned his head to see two men following right behind and when their arms raised, the sound of gunfire passed by their heads, the echo punctured his ears as Delirious sped up, pushing himself to run faster.

“That’s going to signal the fucking cops,” Cartoonz yelled back, his grip tightening on Delirious’s arm.

“Where are we going?” Delirious asked as Cartoonz yanked him down another alley toward the street.

“My car,” Cartoonz yelled, grabbing something from his pocket and taking out a pair of keys before pressing a button on one. A white car flashed in the distance and when Cartoonz let go, Delirious raced around the car as Cartoonz opened the door.

“Hurry up,” he said when he jumped into the passenger seat.

“Shut up,” Cartoonz said, jolting when a bullet hit the window. “Bullet proof, assholes.” He put the car in drive and backed away. The men still fired at the car and Delirious watched them fade in the distance as Cartoonz sped down the street.

“Where’s Moo?”

“They have him,” Cartoonz said, gripping the steering wheel. “They had a van...and there was too many of them...I killed a few.”

“Cops will find their bodies.”

“If they haven’t already.”

Delirious kept looking back, making sure the Crisis members weren’t following them. He was stiff as he settled down, looking out the window at the rundown buildings they drove by, he was still shaking, gun in his hand and the burner phone in his other.

Cartoonz looked at him, “Where’s Vanoss?”

“I...left him at Lui’s.”

“Why?”

“We needed to find Lui’s laptop. It has information on where the facility is, where the others are…”

They just added Moo to that list, and whoever Gideon was wanted Cartoonz. He waved the burner phone at him. “They have your phone.”

Cartoonz frowned. “What’d they say? I got shot in the brain?”

“No. They introduced themselves as the ones that tortured me.”

Cartoonz sucked in a breath. “And you didn’t want to go back and kill them?”

Delirious looked forward, watching the buildings go by, and for a second he did consider it. It would be a waste of time, and there were cops by Moo’s place. A risk he wasn’t about to take.

“I’ll kill them.”

Cartoonz gave him a small smile, exhaustion washed over his features. “I’m sure you will.”

Oh, how much he wanted to kill them for what they did to him. He was glad that Cartoonz wasn’t angry with him. He tucked the gun in his pocket and sighed.

“I’m sorry for what I did.”

“I’d say it’s fine, but you pulled a gun on me,” Cartoonz said, his smile widening. “But I can’t help it, you’re my best friend.”

Relieved, Delirious asked,  “Where are we going?”

“Back to Lui’s. We should pick up Vanoss, knowing him, he found Lui’s laptop and will want to head over to the facility.”

After a moment of silence, his phone rang.

Delirious and Cartoonz looked down at it at the same time. Delirious, confused, answered it.

“Hello?”

“Where’d you go, Johnny?”

Gideon. “How the fuck—”

“You didn’t use a blocked number when you called _me_ ,” Cartoonz interrupted, his face tense.

Shit. He didn’t. He trusted Cartoonz, but he didn’t think someone would have his phone and now he was talking to the asshole who tortured him.

“What do you want?” he asked, trying to stay calm.

“What do I want?” Gideon laughed, it was almost an insane laughter that didn’t sit well with Delirious, neither did Cartoonz who had raised his brow in question. “I think it’s what you want, Johnny.”

He swallowed the spit that was building in his mouth. “What do I want?”

“This.” And all Delirious could hear was Moo screaming on the other end, “You might want to come meet your friend before this train arrives.”


	9. metallic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss is paranoid, but his paranoia leads him into trouble.

He opened the laptop when the cab met up with him. It had a cracked screen, and he sighed in relief that it still worked. He turned down the brightness and read over the schematics and documents again, over and over until he knew that he understood everything. He told the cab to stop and he got out, walked down the street toward an alley where he typed in the wrong pass code and dumped it into the garbage.

He was several feet away when the garbage exploded and his ears rung. He rubbed at his fingers, easing the discomfort from his body before taking the phone out. He didn’t know who to call, he had no one on his side and if he phoned one of his friends, he might accidently pull them into this mess.

Where was Delirious? Did he find Cartoonz and Moo? Did he save them? They still needed to get out of the city and save Wildcat, Mini and Lui. If they were still alive.

Vanoss grit his teeth, squeezing his fingers around the phone before stuffing it into his pocket. How did things get out of control so quickly? He had no one to blame but himself.

He kept walking through the wide and narrow neighborhoods, quiet with dark windows and a silent wind. He felt Delirious’s paranoia, the edge scraping against his skin, he bit his lower lip before making his way across the street toward a gas station. There was a neon sign on the outside, a car sitting by the gas pump and a woman holding a drink in her hand with a smoke in the other.

He ignored them and walked into the gas station, rummaged through the aisles and grabbed a small bag of chips and a can. He paid for it and walked out.

He got several blocks before a car turned down the road behind him, he looked over his shoulder, trying not to make it obvious that he was suspicious, but it drove by.

He chuckled to himself, his heart racing in his chest. He opened the can and took a sip, the cold relaxed his body from the paranoia.

“I have to get a hold of myself,” he said.

He wasn’t sure how long he was walking for, but he passed two stores before stopping at one. He dropped the empty can and bag of chips in the garbage before going for a pay phone. He didn’t use the pay phone, but he did take out his burner phone and dialed a number, a secret number that was meant for himself and Lui.

He waited, listening as it rung, and when it stopped and there was a noise on the other side. A heavy breath, and the phone went dead.

“Shit.” He didn’t know what it meant. No one should have the number unless Lui did break under their torture and he gave up the numbers. He wasn’t sure and he headed for the garbage to dump the phone when it vibrated in his hand.

Furrowing his brows, he looked at the small screen: _Lui says hi._

“Shit, shit, shit,” he dumped the phone into the garbage and started running.

He ran through the streets, through the alleys, jumping fences and stayed in the dark before stopping near a garage. He caught his breath, hands shaking at his sides.

He didn’t have a gun, a safety measure that made him comfortable, made him feel invincible when he fired it. It was only himself, and he knew he wasn’t that dangerous.

He stayed near the garage for as a long as he could before a car drove by. He stared at it, wondering if it was Crisis, or someone else, someone more innocent. He pushed his body against the wall of the garage, deeper in the dark once he realized the car was moving slow. He watched it pass and followed it.

He didn’t think it was stupid to follow the car, but the paranoia had grew like a sickness that itched on his skin, and instead of fighting it, he accepted the inevitable. He grit his teeth, rubbing his fingers together at his sides before pulling on his hood and stuffing his hands into his pockets. They didn’t know how he looked, he was nothing more but a shadow, a civilian, a normalcy.

The car was slow at corners and he figured it was someone trying to pick up hookers, but the subtlety when the car stopped. He went down an alley and started to run, his heart picking up and when the first round cut into the air, his ears ringing and his legs moving faster. He knew he was caught, and knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t bring anyone else into his mess.

It was all his fault.

There was two of them and when he turned on the corner, pressing his back against the wall, he waited and waited for that inevitable before grasping the arms of his pursuer. He pulled his arm back and punched them in the face before grasping something cold and familiar. He pointed the gun and the first stopped, and when the second came into view, he didn’t hesitate to shoot them in the leg to stop their own gun coming up.

To his disappointment, it wasn’t who he was looking for.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asked, easing the gun at the first who had his hands raised. They were both clean shaven with dirtied sweaters and baggy jeans. He reached for the second’s gun and tucked it in his pocket.

“Wes,” the first said, his gaze hard and unreadable. “Why were you following us?”

The second groaned, holding his leg where he was shot. He was quiet with his pain.

“I thought you were someone else,” he said, backing away. “Go home.”

“Give us back our guns, you dipshit!”

He didn’t turn around, not when the gun was firmly in his hand and for the first time all night, he was in control of his nerves. Until a van pulled up, the door swung open and when he raised the gun, pulling the trigger, one body fell as a current of electricity cut through him and he hit the ground, gun tumbling from his fingertips.

A man jumped out, grinning down at him as he reached for the gun in his pocket. “Vanoss, right? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He looked over his shoulder at a woman who stepped out of the van, “Kill the witnesses.”

She nodded and left his field of vision but he heard screams and the fired bullets.

The man leaned down and grasped Vanoss’s shoulders, “We almost lost you when you left the store until we heard the gun firing, figured one of our teams found you, or another squabble of gang members. Wasn’t really sure,” he picked him up and shoved him into the van, “until you walked right toward us, of course.”

He groaned as he was turned over and his arms were secured by something tight. The woman jumped back into the van and closed the doors.

He was sitting against the wall of the van as it drove down the street. He tasted something metallic inside his mouth and figured he bit his tongue when they tased him. His body was sore, and when the woman grabbed his arm, pulled his sleeve up and stuck him with a needle.

Sleep came too easy and the last thing he thought of was his guilt.


	10. lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious is hoping to save Moo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...I think my writing is getting a little a bit more predictable. lol. I don't know. I have three major plots for three new stories after I'm finished this one, and Frayed. :D So, if you're a fan of my stories, might want to wait around after these stories are finished, because I'm writing new ones. Yay.
> 
> Kudo or comment please. It's appreciated.

Tonight wasn’t the night to pick up liquor, but it’s what Cartoonz grabbed while they were on their way to save Moo from getting run over by a train. 

Delirious gritted his teeth, tapping his fingers on the side of the door while waiting for Cartoonz. Since returning to the city, he wouldn’t say he wasn’t as disconnected as he was before, but it was there. A strand of himself floating in the air, away from himself that tried to touch the sky. 

It was disturbing, made his skin itch. 

Cartoonz rounded the car and opened the door. He passed Delirious a paper bag filled with two bottles of vodka and started the car. 

“Do you really need this?” Delirious asked, placing the bag on the floor. 

“After this,  _ we’re  _ going to need this,” Cartoonz said, turning the car around and driving down the street. 

He didn’t think they’d be drinking any time soon, but he didn’t want to crack it open in case he’d be handling a gun. He knew he would be, the people who took Moo and were threatening his life were the same people who tortured him.

Gideon and Chris. He didn’t recall their faces, the light was too bright, and their voices were cut off by his own screaming. What they did to him in the short time they had him burned imprints on his mind, blurring the edges.

He closed his eyes, trying his best to remember the exact specifics of what happened, but it wasn’t easy. His mind was still trying to protect him from the pain. It drew a fine line of hating himself and exhaustion, if only he knew.

Cartoonz didn’t waste time driving toward the train tracks and following the road. They were almost heading out of the city, and Delirious was afraid they might have gone the wrong way when they caught sight of something in the distance. Several forms and a van near the track, Cartoonz slowed the car and grabbed something from his pocket, a gun.

“Ready?” he asked.

Delirious shook his head, “Not really.”

Cartoonz sighed and they got out of the car. The light showed them more of the men and women standing by the track, they parted to see a man with a gun, pointing directly down at Moo’s forehead who was knelt on his knees, hands tied behind his back, tape covering his mouth. He looked, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with fear.

“Shit,” Cartoonz muttered, gripping the gun. “He’s not dead.”

“He will be if we don’t do this right,” Delirious said, glaring at the the man holding the gun.

“Delirious,” he waved, shoving Moo down with his foot, “didn’t think you’d come.” He walked over to them.

He was young, short brown hair with glasses, he wore all black like his friends. He tucked his gun into his side holster, stretching his hand out toward Cartoonz and the gun in his hand.

“We’re not enemies here,” he said.

Cartoonz snorted. “You have a friend of ours over there, tied up, I’m thinking you have a different definition of  _ friend _ than we do.”

The man licked his lips, “Right. I’ve read about you, many reports about how one would go back for the other, that you’d fight for each other, that in all of this, you’re all individual weaknesses.” He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The man near Moo grinned, he took out his gun, pointed it down and pulled the trigger.

Delirious blinked, his breath was stuck in his throat and his heart raced but it felt strangely distant from what was going on beyond it. There was something still about how his body didn’t react, nor the disbelief breath coming from Cartoonz. He stared past the grinning man’s head, at the body on the ground,

“You bastard,” Cartoonz raised his gun, but the man had his gun out and fired. The ringing started and Delirious flinched. 

“We said what would happen,” the man stepped forward, grabbing Delirious by the arm and squeezed, a pain flared and he almost wrenched his hand from his grip, if only for the split second face that appeared past the bright light in his memory, the sinister smile with the sharp knife.

“Gideon,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You can’t run,” he pressed the gun against Delirious’s chest, “we told you that over and over again, and look what happened, you managed to get one of your friends killed and for another—” a gun went off and Cartoonz fell to the ground, “—killed.”

Delirious looked, his body rigid, and his breath exhaling when he saw Cartoonz groaning on the ground, blood coming out of his arm.

Gideon leaned closer, “Did you know we found another...what was his name...Vanoss.”

Delirious met his gaze, confused and incredulous. He had left him at Lui’s apartment, sooner or later someone would have come looking, but he knew Vanoss, knew him to be resourceful. They couldn’t have captured him, something must have happened.

“You’re lying.” Numbness eased over his body, a disarray of memories flickered in his eyes, pushing past the pain of Moo’s death and the wound in Cartoonz’s shoulder. They had Vanoss, and in all that time since escaping thanks to Lui, he had said over and over that he would save him, that he would protect him from this. From Crisis and their sharp knives.

The pain in his back made his mouth dry.

_ I said I would protect you. _

Delirious reached for Gideon’s arm, almost wrenching the gun from his hand, he grabbed his shoulder and kept him firmly in place. “You better be lying.”

A gun went off, and this time it wasn’t Gideon, it was Cartoonz who had fired at the men and women standing by the van. There were four of them, and in a second, the lights of his car went out and they were plunged in darkness. Lights far from the tracks were the only thing that shown, but it wasn’t enough.

Delirious was shoved forward, but his grip was tight on Gideon’s arm. Bringing him with him, Delirious curled his fingers and slammed his fist into the side of his face. More gunfire stung the night, but it was enough for him to move away from the bullet Gideon fired at him. He kicked at his leg and shoved him down on the ground, grasping the gun in his hand, he dragged himself over his body and slammed the side of the gun in his face over and over until the slickness of blood made him stop. 

“Fucking…” Gideon said through the blood pouring from his nose, he dug his fingers into Delirious’s wrist, dragging the gun out of his hand before he tugged on the trigger, the ringing disoriented Delirious who gritted his teeth, he was kicked in his chest. Before he could move, Gideon pushed himself up and he could tell in the dark that he was pointing the gun at him.

Cartoonz had already stopped firing at whoever was still alive, or maybe he was dead too. Something must have happened, and in all that, he couldn’t even get a hold on Gideon of all people. 

The lights to the car flashed on, Gideon’s face was bloody and there was dirt on the side of his head, his glasses were gone. The gun was still there and his eyes were screaming murder.

Delirious flinched when a gun fire shattered the silence and for a second, Delirious thought Gideon had shot him until his body slumped back. He looked up and in the light of three bodies lying on the ground, Moo was pointing a gun toward him before he turned and shot the last one on the ground still groaning. 

“You’re alive.”

Moo stood, limping toward him. “He shot the ground beside my head...hurt my ear.”

“You could’ve moved your legs around, did something to tell us you were still alive,” Cartoonz called from the side of the car.

Delirious frowned, looking over at him. “You’re still alive too.”

Moo kicked Gideon’s arm and the man groaned. Delirious figured Moo had killed him, but it was enough to know that one member of Crisis was still alive. He got to his feet and grabbed Gideon by the arm, dragging him up. He took the gun from him and gave it to Moo.

“Help me take him to the van.”

Moo nodded and grasped his arm, and they dragged him to the van. Opening the doors, they saw it was mostly empty, some small equipment and several guns.

“They were armed,” Moo said.

“You’re not going to help me,” Cartoonz yelled.

“You’ll be fine,” Delirious said, mostly to himself as he leaned down and grasped a knife, he looked it over before driving it down into Gideon’s leg. The man jerked, a low scream left his lips, he almost thrashed if it wasn’t for Moo who kept him down on the floor of the van.

“That hurts,” Delirious said, shaking his head, “I know...because you dug a knife into my back a few times before stitching me up, you made sure I felt it.”

He ignored the look on Moo’s face, the numbness was still there, the gunfire ringing in his ears. How he thought they had killed Moo on the ground near some train track, just to show that he was their weaknesses, and that they were his. That it was his fault for returning and dragging them with him. 

“Who has Vanoss?” he asked, slapping the side of Gideon’s face to get his attention. 

“Who...do you think,” he said, sweat gleamed off his face, his glare dark.

Delirious leaned forward, grabbing Gideon’s chin. “Did they take him back to the facility?”

Gideon gritted his teeth. He tried to fight, but Moo and Delirious held him tight. 

“You know,” Delirious turned his head, he spoke soft, “I would have done what you done to me.” He wrenched the knife out of Gideon’s leg, keeping him firmly in place, “I would have tortured you until you’re begging became nothing but lies. I would have enjoyed it, the experience of hurting someone...but maybe that’s what makes us so fucking different, Gideon. I don’t torture people, my friends and I don’t do that shit, and when you hurt one of us, you hurt the rest of us. I would have let some of you go free, a message to others not to mess with me, but if you had killed Moo, I would have killed you all for taking a friend from me. You only made it worse for taking Vanoss, for taking Wildcat, Miniladd and Lui. And you think that this will end in some miraculous way, but you underestimate us. All of you do.”

Cartoonz had made his way over to them, holding his arm and blocking the light.

“You underestimate us,” Moo smiled.

“I know where they took Vanoss,” Delirious said, patting Gideon’s arm and stepping back.

Moo moved away as well, and Cartoonz raised his arm—he didn’t bother listening to the babbles of lies spilling from Gideon’s lips—and fired his gun.

 


	11. relentless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss is in a room with two soldiers and he manages to out smart them by showing a side of himself he rarely reveals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, I know I don't reply, but I do appreciate it. 
> 
> Comments and Kudo's are appreciated. :)

“Wakey, wakey,” someone said, slapping the side of Vanoss’s face. 

He groaned, blinking open his eyes, but all he could see was a light glaring into his blurry sight. They dragged him from the van and let go of his arms when his feet hit the asphalt, he stumbled and hit the ground. 

He could barely register what was happening before they hauled him to his feet. Limbs shaky and weak, they dragged him across the ground as he tried to gain his bearings.

“Is this him?” Someone tapped the side of Vanoss’s face. “He looks young.”

“He may be young, but he and his group have been on our radar for some time.” The voice sounded familiar, all Vanoss could grasp in his hazy mind was the man that tased him out on the open street.

“His group?” 

“Yeah,” the grip on his arm tightened, “a bunch of amateur’s.” He spat the words and yanked Vanoss up until he was slightly on his feet, but his limbs were still weak and the grip loosened.

“Fucker,” Vanoss managed to say as he landed on his knees, one hand still being held by the second person. 

The man grabbed Vanoss by the back of his hair, yanking his head to the side to see his face in the dim light. There were several people standing near by, holding weapons in their hands. 

Vanoss swallowed the spit that was building in his mouth. He knew he’d never be able to leave, not like this.

“One by one, you’re group is being taken out…” the words were sharp and it cut into Vanoss, but not as deep as he’d thought, because Delirious, Cartoonz and Moo came to mind and he had to hold back the smile. The one that appreciated the man’s idle threat. 

He didn’t say anything to upset his ire, but the man looked at him anyway with contempt and dragged him to his feet. They took him into a building with white floors and white walls, there weren’t many people inside the building but the ones he saw were soldiers. He counted enough to know that it was practically a small militia. 

He didn’t fight them, he knew it wasn’t something he needed. A plan would be good, at least until they dragged him into a room with no tables or chairs. They threw him in and closed the door, leaving him in darkness.

He spread his fingers out, felt the cold floor and closed his eyes, squeezing them before opening them up. The lights turned on and he tensed before looking toward the door. There was no one there and he knew without trying that the door was locked. 

Vanoss crawled toward the door and pressed his ear against it. He couldn’t hear anything and brought his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes to get them to clear. His body swayed and he fell over onto the floor.

“What did they give me?” he wondered, rolling on his back. 

He closed his eyes, listening to his rapid heart beat while thinking of when this all began. His pizza, Delirious and his broken phone. The sound of it shattering made him open his eyes and stare at the white ceiling above him.

Dread washed over Delirious’s face when he had told him about Lui’s text. Of course then he didn’t know that wasn’t Lui. Things had taken a dramatic turn, not just when Delirious pinned him to the wall and yanked him out of the house. The world fell away with each torrent of impossibilities that strung them together and pulled them apart.

He thought of Delirious’s scars and the memory loss he experienced over his week of being Crisis’s captive. The pain of what he went through and how everyone else who was captured must still be going through. 

Vanoss closed his eyes and the first thing that came to mind was the dark road where they first stopped after leaving his house, where Delirious tore his shirt off and showed Vanoss what happened to him. The scars were deep and the stitches were new. His expression was vulnerable and paranoia ridden.

He didn’t know what to do. What to say to make this better, he knew there wasn’t anything to make this better, but he wanted to try. 

He spent his time reminiscing on the cold ground until he pushed himself away when he felt someone walking toward the door. Voices vibrated, growing louder with each twist of the knob before it opened.

Two men walked in, looking down at Vanoss, and he could see they weren’t impressed by him. 

“Are you sure this is him?” the second asked, blond hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue shirt and a bullet proof vest.

The first wrinkled his nose, he was built, larger than Vanoss, and taller. “This is him.”

“What time is it?” Vanoss asked, crossing his legs on the floor.

“You weren’t here long,” the first said, gesturing for the second man to close the door.

“I want to know the time.”

The second man rolled his eyes, checking his watch at his wrist. “It’s one in the morning.”

Vanoss bit his lip. He left his house around ten at night, and with everything that happened in a series of events, time flew by.

“Where are my friends?” 

The first furrowed his brows, but there was calculation in his eyes. He was waiting for something. Vanoss didn’t have to wait for anything, he had everything in the room for his disposal, he just needed the right moment for them to get cocky.

“Your friends will be apprehended soon enough,” the first said.

Vanoss narrowed his eyes. “I wasn’t asking if they were being apprehended, I was asking where they are. Don’t think for a moment that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“The three we captured,” the second said, he wasn’t as stoic as the first man, nor did he bother to hide the excitement on his face, they weren’t here for a chat. “They’ll be dead by morning. We’re just disposing of a group of nuisance.”

“Why?” That was odd for a private sector group to want to dispose of them, it’s not like they tried to make themselves a  _ nuisance _ . There was something else they weren’t telling him, something that made them shaky.

Vanoss touched the tip of his shoe and pulled back a slit, he pressed his finger against something sharp, but he brought it as the two men stared at him. His movements were slow, evened out to keep the suspicious out of their eyes.

They had guns, a knife, a bullet proof vests and padding on their legs. The door was locked.

“Why are you killing my friends?” He knew they’d answer, most people would when they asked for a request before they died, and these men weren’t here to beat him into a pulp. They knew him, from rumors maybe, but they didn’t want to underestimate him.

“We’ve been assigned to kill off your group since you stepped foot into this building,” the first said. 

The file came to mind, the reason why they wanted to get into the building on a skeleton crew instead of getting caught by Crisis. The file held sensitive information that could be sold off to the black market, or whoever wanted it most. It had names of various organizations, their money holders, hackers and private sectors. It could be an easy way to get someone hired, or someone killed. Depends on the person and the price. 

He inched the blade from his shoe, and held it in his hand, smoothing his finger over the edge. 

“It’s only lucky that we managed to catch you, Vanoss, the infamous leader—”

Vanoss chuckled, a rumble in his chest that rose as he looked at the man, at the barrel staring at him. “You got us wrong, there ain’t no leaders, we’re all just friends trying to make some money.”

The man sneered, a look of distaste crossed his face and his hand tightened on the gun, finger ready to pull the trigger. 

Vanoss wasn’t sure if he’d make it, but there was a sudden alarm that went off in the hall. And the man’s disposition shifted, he turned and seemed to realize his error and it was enough for Vanoss to get up from the floor, slash the man’s wrist with the knife in his hand, cutting off any hold on the gun as it began to fall. The man dove for it, but Vanoss went straight for the second man who was pulling out his own gun. The knife embedded along his shoulder, stopping him from grasping the gun, Vanoss pushed him against the door, reached down and yanked the gun from the holster. He turned and pointed at the first man who had the fallen gun in his hand, but was too late to turn it toward Vanoss.

“You’re quick,” he said, dropping the gun.

“I was trained, just like you…” Vanoss said, keeping the knife embedded in the second man’s shoulder. He grunted but stayed firm against the door.

“Now that you got us, what are you going to do?” he asked. 

Vanoss looked through the small window at the lights blaring red because of the alarm going off. He pulled the trigger on the first man without answering his question and placed the barrel on the second’s chest.

He smiled at him. “You have keys, don’t you?”

The man gritted his teeth but he didn’t move, he didn’t say anything. Vanoss rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue and taking out the knife. The man groaned, but didn’t do anything else besides going rigid.

Vanoss checked the man’s pockets and found the keys. “These aren’t all of them,” Vanoss said, pulling the trigger and stepping away from the fallen body. He knelt down beside the first man’s body and wrinkled his nose at the empty shocked expression he died with. “You also have keys.”

He checked the pockets and rose when he found more keys. “Hopefully these unlock several doors that I need to go through.” He pushed the body that was slouched against the door and opened it, sneaking a glance on either side of the hall.

“Time to end this.”


	12. too late?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious keeps Moo and Cartoonz safe and manages to get himself into a car chase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I don't know about the whole H2oVanoss, maybe I'll add something subtle. This has been a little more plot driven tbh. Maybe in my other stories, I'll try to add more h2ovanoss. :D And, Moo didn't get his ear blown off the dude shot next to his ear. 
> 
> Anyway, I also noticed I've been writing this since late 2016 and I'm almost finished. Yay. 
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated. :)

They didn’t stay long near the tracks where they thought Moo was going to die, where they thought _they_ were going to die. He and Moo piled the bodies into the van, and burned it. They didn’t stay to watch, and Delirious glanced through the rearview mirror to see a yellowish flame in the distance. He cracked open one of the bottles, took a sip and winced.

“Want any?” he asked, moving the bottle back and forth at Moo who was driving, his ear had blood coming out of it from a busted eardrum.

Moo gritted his teeth, body tense. “No.”

He turned in his seat and looked at Cartoonz whose head was tilted back, hand holding onto his sweater that was covering his wound. A sheen of sweat was over his face, and he had his eyes closed, grimacing.

“Want any?”

Cartoonz opened his eyes and reached for the bottle. “Maybe the pain will go away…” he took a sip and didn’t stop chugging before pulling it away from his mouth. “Fuck, that’s gross.”

Delirious chuckled, taking back the bottle. He righted himself in his seat and pointed at a street they were about to drive past, “Go down here,” he directed Moo who gave him an odd look before turning.

“Where are we going? I thought we were going after Vanoss and the others,” Moo said, confused.

Delirious took a quick sip, pressing his tongue against the top of his mouth before smiling at Moo. “Are you seriously thinking I’m going to take Cartoonz? He’s wounded in the arm, he’s a liability—”

“Hey!”

Delirious glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned at Cartoonz. “No offence, but it’s true.”

Cartoonz frowned, turning his head. “You’re going after him then?”

“Of course. It’s my fault for not protecting him.” And he believed that, the guilt clung to him, it ate him up inside. He came back to save Vanoss and now Crisis had him, and they could be doing anything to him. He might be dead. He walked down that path of thinking since Gideon was killed, a whole other temper rising inside of him, one that grasped hold of the burden he displayed upon himself, and flung onto Vanoss. Something wrapped around his heart and squeezed, eliciting a pain.

“It’s not your fault,” Moo said, his voice a little louder.

Delirious smiled, half content with that truth. “You’re staying with Cartoonz.”

Moo turned his head to look at him, brows furrowed. “Why?”

“I need someone to protect Cartoonz. Who knows if Crisis still has anymore operatives in the city.”

“And what are you going to do? Go after Vanoss yourself?” Cartoonz asked, waving his hand at Delirious.

He passed the bottle to Cartoonz, “I’m not even sure if he’s still alive.”

Cartoonz rolled his eyes. “He’s alive.”

“Maybe, but these are guys are ruthless.”

“So are we,” Moo said.

Delirious wasn’t sure if that was true. Sure they were caught off guard and their paths were diverted, Crisis was still able to grab his friends, and they had the upper hand, anything can happen in the next hour.

“Slow down over here,” Delirious said, pointing toward an apartment complex.

“We’re not staying here,” Cartoonz said, opening the door of the car and stepping out. He leaned against the car with the bottle in his hand, easing it to his lips and taking a slow sip.

Delirious sighed and got out, “No one will come looking.”

Cartoonz narrowed his eyes at him. “Someone will...and Moo might not be able to _protect_ me.”

“We both know you don’t need Moo to protect you, it’s just a precaution, for now.”

“Until when?”

“Until I find Vanoss and the others and get them out of their situation.” It’s what he hoped for and time was dwindling through his fingers with each passing second. “You’ll be safe.”

“It’s a stupid plan,” Cartoonz said, gesturing at the apartment complex. “If they checked Vanoss’s, they’ll surely check yours.”

“It’s not even known to anyone in the organization. Also, we’re short on time and I don’t trust any of the safe houses.”

“Better than your apartment.”

“Do you want to go to a safe house?”

Cartoonz took a swig and shook his head. “No. Like you said, we’re short on time.”

Delirious gave him the key to his apartment.

Moo rounded the car and tossed Delirious the keys. Before he left, he gave one last look at Cartoonz who gave him a weary smile.

“Stay safe. And come back.”

Delirious didn’t say anything before getting into the car and drove away. He didn’t dare look into the rearview mirror to watch them fade in the distance. He shuddered, not because of the cold, or the pain in his back where the remnant of a blade sunk into his skin that tore a scream from his throat. It was a feeling that left him knowing that he might not come back.

He drove through the streets and onto the highway that lead him out of the city. He knew where they were, and knew they’d be waiting for a retaliation. First, there was something he had to take care of.

Delirious fixed the rearview mirror and caught a black car driving fast towards him, it slammed into him and almost lurched him into the next lane. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, he grabbed the gun from Gideon’s group. He checked the ammo and grunted when the car slammed into him again.

“Fucking bastards.” Delirious swerved to the side, letting the car speed up, he caught sight of two men in the front seats, another was poking their head through the open window in the back. “Shit.” He ducked the second the gun went off, shattering the back window.

He raised the gun, firing at the car and hitting the side before a bullet slammed into the man in the passenger seat. He moved back, a loud groan leaving his lips as another barrage of bullets hit the car.

Delirious pressed down on the break, letting the car drive past him. “These fucking assholes.” He leaned against the car door, extending his arm out that held the gun while pushing down on the gas. He shot out the back window and took out the gunman. The other two were still alive, and they slowed the car down to Delirious’s chagrin, the passenger held an assault rifle, aiming it at Delirious’s car.

“Fuck…” He ducked, still steering, the bullets pelted the front of the car as it went by. He raised his head, gritting his teeth.

One of the bullets took out the tire and he almost swerved off the road. The bright lights of the other cars on the other side of the lane came into his sight before he slowed the car down. Cops will be on their way if he took too long and he didn’t have time to get arrested. The car came to a stop on the side of the road. He got out, kept low, and fired at the car that was speeding towards him.

His heart raced at how close the car was before he moved out of the way. The slam of metal sliced into his ears, his hands shaking, but he gripped the gun and sprinted to the side of the car, raising the gun and fired at the car. He smashed the windows and heard a low thump and the car horn went off.

Delirious gritted his teeth, it was cold out. He checked the magazine and shook his head, tossing the gun into the tall grass. He took out his knife and rounded the car.

He kicked the side of the car and heard something akin to a groan. He grasped the door handle and opened it, a man fell out with the assault rifle, his jacket was ripped near the shoulder and his ear was blown off.

“You fucking asshole.” He fumbled with the gun before Delirious pressed his foot done on his fingers and kicked the gun from his hold.

Delirious sighed, looking up at the stars. “I’m the asshole.” He reached down and grabbed the man by his bad arm, letting him scream in agony into the air. “Shut up.” Stepping over him, he reached for the gun the driver had in his holster.

“Is there anyone else in the city?” he asked, kneeling down next to the man. Tapping the gun against his forehead as the man whimpered, “Hey, quit crying and tell me if there’s anyone else in the city.”

“Fuck you,” he spat.

Delirious clenched his jaw, he looked at the man for a moment before rising to his feet. “I’ll take that as a no.” He checked the magazine before turning it down and pulling the trigger. “I need a ride.” He rounded the car, opened the driver’s side door and yanked the dead man out, he even managed to drag the one in the back seat out and dropped him on the ground. He wiped at the blood on the steering wheel before getting in and starting the car.

He drove away from the wreckage and the dead men he left behind.

He sighed, his hands were shaking, his legs were weak and he was tired. The stitches on his back stretched at the amount of movement he put himself in and now they burned. He wasn’t sure if some were broken, but he couldn’t check. Not when he was so close to finding Vanoss and the others.

His fears had came true, Crisis found Vanoss, when he tried his best to protect him. His mind spun with the various scenarios Vanoss could be in. Thinking about it wouldn’t help, he’d have to see it for himself that Vanoss, Lui, Wildcat and Miniladd were still alive.

He just hoped he wasn’t too late.


	13. distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss is loose inside the facility and manages to find someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my best to rush this story. I mean...I'm taking my time, not like I'm writing whatever. I have to think about what I'm doing and how I'm going to do it. Also if anything is equally as possible according to certain character's skill set and how they function.  
> • I also like to ask what you like about this story. It can be something small or something big. Nothing too interesting, I would just like to know what drew you into this story and made you stay so I can do better with my other stories. 
> 
> Comments and/or kudo's are appreciated. :)

The facility was an intricate network of halls and empty rooms, a few held equipment, but other than that. None of the soldiers lingered near any for too long. Most of the doors were locked, and there weren’t many windows that could be smashed and opened. Not like Vanoss wanted to leave any time soon.

The alarm kept going off, and he wondered as he headed down the hall, gun in hand, if the soldiers were inadequate, or whatever set off the alarm was still free. He was sure it could be Lui, Wildcat or Miniladd. But he had his doubts, they—including Delirious—were trapped in the building for over a week. It was too much time between them escaping and Crisis torturing them for information before killing them off.

Something was going on in this building and Vanoss wasn’t going to leave without knowing its secrets. He stopped next to the corner of the hall, pressing his tongue against his teeth before turning his head and scanning for any soldiers. There were two at the end, both talking to one another, one pointing at the alarm still going off, the other shaking his head.

They were similar to the two men that he killed in the room they locked him in. They were tall, built, and wore bullet proof vests. Their heads were exposed and he spotted an earpiece in one of their ears.

Gritting his teeth. There was no other way around it. He didn’t think too much about killing, it wasn’t like a hobby he enjoyed, or a part of him that no longer was sick of the blood splatter. He simply grew used to the damage it created—in himself and his victim. Some people made it look easy, and maybe it was, pulling the trigger and feeling nothing afterward came with the entirety of it. And he accepted that.

Vanoss breathed in and ran down the hall, his steps were light and it took a second for one of the men to notice his presence. He raised the gun, gripped it and pulled the trigger, the bullet cut into the man’s forehead and his blood hit the second man’s face.

He inhaled, standing still in the hallway with the gun at the man’s forehead. He was a bit taller than Vanoss, and had a twisted look on his face.

“Give me your ear piece,” Vanoss said, extending his hand out, palm up.

The man hesitated for a second and raised his hand slowly. Instead of grasping the ear piece, he reached for the gun and pushed it to the side as it went off. Yanking Vanoss closer, his grip tightened on his hand, twisting his wrist until Vanoss let out an aggravated yell before dropping the gun. It clattered to the floor and the man spun Vanoss around, slamming him against the wall.

He took out his own gun and placed it against Vanoss’s chest. “Give me a fucking reason.”

Vanoss went still, teeth clenched, and glaring fruitlessly at the man.

He reached for his earpiece, “I have a man in my custody. He killed Frank. Five foot ten, early to mid twenties, asian—” The man’s brows furrowed, confusion and realization mixing in his eyes, and before he could speak, Vanoss grasped the small knife from his shoe that he tucked in his pocket, he slammed the man’s hand down and the gun went off, bullet hitting the ground, he raised his hand and slashed the man’s neck.

Blood spurted out, hitting Vanoss’s face and sweater. He reached down for the earpiece and tucked it in his ear.

“Don’t let him out of your custody, bring him to—”

“Too late,” Vanoss said, picking up the gun. “Hey, can you guys turn off the alarm...it’s giving me a headache.”

“Vanoss?” a familiar voice that made Vanoss stop in the middle of the hallway. The alarms went off and he frowned.

“Lui?” He hadn’t expected to hear anyone familiar, not yet anyway, but there was a sense of relief that lifted from Vanoss’s shoulders. He’s alive….alive.

“It is you,” Lui said, his voice light, “where are you?”

“Where are you?” he asked, looking around as if to find a camera but there weren’t any in the corners of the hall. “You’re alive.”

“Yeah,” Lui said, the sound of tapping was heard on the other end, “I don’t know how long until that changes. I’m in one of the control rooms, I have the door covered with tables and chairs so no one can enter...I’m trying to find Wildcat and Miniladd.”

Vanoss furrowed his brows, walking to the end of the hall and looking around the corner. “You don’t know where they are?”

“If I did, we’d be out of here by now. Where’s Delirious?...is he alive?”

“Yeah,” Vanoss said, he remembered the look of desperation on his face when he left Lui’s apartment to go after Cartoonz. Did he save Cartoonz and Moo? Are they alright or were they dead as well? “Last I saw him he was alright.”

“I’m surprised he left you out of his sight, all he did was scream for you.”

Vanoss frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing dirty, I promise. But when they tortured him, I guess you were his happy place...he screamed your name and kept saying he’d protect you...even when I got him out of the room, he was desperate, maybe a little delusional.”

His smile at the beginning, the one that unnerved him before shifting into desperation. He knew something was wrong, and still he figured Delirious could take care of himself.

“How’d you get free?”

“Oh, you know me,” Lui said, “they can’t hold me for long.”

“But you don’t know where Wildcat and Miniladd are?”

“I may be good at what I do, Vanoss, I’m just not entirely that good when I’m covered in torture wounds, if you get what I mean.”

“Sorry.”

Lui breathed hard on the other end, the tapping continued and as Vanoss got to the end of the hall and found it empty.

Lui inhaled. “I see you.”

Vanoss looked and spotted a camera near two adjacent doors. “You hacked into the camera system?”

“I didn’t have too,” Lui said, chuckling, “the one to the left is the stairway, the right leads to a bunch of soldiers. Go for the stairs. I need to find Wildcat and Miniladd and they might be in the basement.”

 _Might_ was a word Vanoss could work with, for now anyway. He opened the door slowly and slipped through. The stairs were empty and dark, one lead up and the other down, and he grasped the railing and headed down the steps.

“Their camera system is slightly dead on half of the building.”

“Meaning?” Vanoss asked, shivering, his voice sank into a whisper.

“Meaning I can’t see you in parts of the building...like the basement.”

Vanoss stopped, his foot hovering over the step. “Are you serious?”

“You’ve done good so far. All that rigorous training I put you through worked out fine.”

Vanoss stepped down and looked at the door that lead into the basement of the facility. He recalled the halls, the rooms, from the plans he made. The blueprints he located came to mind. He knew this facility inside and out from studying it so well, and the reason behind it was still fresh on his mind.

“Did you find the files?”

Lui went silent as Vanoss stepped down and grasped the doorknob. It was locked and he gritted his teeth, knowing for sure what he had to do as he backed away.

“I wasn’t sure if it mattered.”

Vanoss raised the gun and went still. “Are you serious?” He could hear how sharp his voice sounded, as if he couldn’t believe what Lui had said, what the implication meant, and even their own dire situation.

“I couldn’t risk it...not when they captured me again after I got Delirious out...It took me awhile to escape. And even that is going to leave a deadly scar. Don’t think of yourself, Vanoss, think of what is happening at this moment.”

“I am...and I’m going to get you out, but since you’re safe upstairs, maybe you can find the files and maybe...maybe set off a distraction, several even. I’m going to shoot this door and I’m not leaving the basement until I find Wildcat and Miniladd, but I need time and you’re all I have right now.”

Lui took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll try to find the files, and keep these assholes off your trail. But you’re going to have to be quick.”

“Yeah, yeah, stay on comms with me.” He shot the doorknob a few times and kicked the door open.

“Here goes...one distraction.” The alarms upstairs went off and Vanoss closed the door, sealing himself inside the dark halls.


	14. proficient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delirious finds a way into the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extended period of time that I didn't update. I was dreading writing this chapter, so I procrastinated and wrote other things.  
> If you must know, I don't want it to be a big surprise, but there's only one chapter left. :)
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.

He left the car a mile from the facility and walked on foot. He didn’t want anyone to know he was there, and when he came upon it, it was dark, heavily guarded, sitting by a mountain with electric fences all around it. He could see a helicopter on top, several vans in the front. He got off the road, into the tall grass and along the trees where the dark helped camouflage him. He checked the gun he held in his hand, another tucked in his holster. He had minimum bullets, not enough to take out all of them.

He sniffled, the cold was getting to him, the adrenaline had come down and his limbs were weak. He kept walking until he found a spot where the fence was ripped open, he didn’t know from what, but it was in a vantage point where most of the guards wouldn’t see him. It was how he escaped before, a lucky spot away from the guards that would see him running through tall grass and trees. It was amazing he made it so far before crashing down on the side of the road.

The electricity didn’t run this far, it seemed to have cut off midpoint. He knelt down and crawled through. He stayed crouched and moved to a bunch of crates and vehicles. He breathed evenly, looking off to the center of the facility where most of the guards were crowding around.

An alarm was coming from within, several guards had left through the wide door. Four had stayed outside, clutching their guns.

Delirious wasn’t stupid to take on four armed guards. Not when they wore padded armour and helmets. The other times when he fought these types of guards, he was lucky or he had friends to cover him. He was alone in this, and he had to do this without alerting them of his presence.

He looked around for an opening and spotted something to his far left, a ladder that went to the top of the building. There were cameras, but they weren’t pointed that way and from the lights, they were turned off. Why were the cameras off? It didn’t matter, he still had that large gap to worry about.

He moved along the crates to the vehicles until he was at the end. He peeked a glance and spotted the four soldiers standing at the end near the wide door. They weren’t looking his way, but these types of guards could have reflexes and shoot him right away. He didn’t have time to get shot.

He waited for an opening and it took some time, the soldiers didn’t move until one of them turned. They reached for something and were talking through it, the second guard next to them turned and Delirious had to move back. He exhaled a breath before looking again, both guards were gone, disappearing into the wide door before it closed on them.

Now there were two left, changing spots where the two others guards were in front of the door.

“Great,” Delirious said, softly.

He gripped the gun in his hand and took off as quietly as he could across the gap. He made it to the other side, blending into the dark before grasping the ladder. He climbed to the top and poked his head to see another guard near the helicopter.

He bit his lip and slowly climbed up onto the ledge. He moved toward the guard and right before he turned around, Delirious reached for his wrist, yanked him down, twisting his body until Delirious was on top of him with arm behind his back. He plucked the gun from his wrist and took off the helmet.

Delirious grasped the comm from his ear and placed it in his own. He gave the man a smile before hitting him in the side of the head until his body went limp.

He got off him and headed for the door. He opened it and slipped through, finding the staircase was empty of people. The alarm was still going, and the voices in the comm were quiet.

He cleared his throat, lowering his voice, he said, “What’s going on?”

Another voice entered his ear, “We’ve got a man heading for the main floor, it seems the alarm was tripped downstairs.”

“The captive is gone, sir.”

The man grunted, “How many are dead?”

“Four.”

Delirious went down the stairs, checking the halls when he came to a door. Most of them were empty. It seems Vanoss was busy, or maybe it was Lui, Wildcat or Miniladd. At least he knew they might be alive still, but now the guards also knew that whoever tripped the alarm was downstairs.

He was about to open a door when a man stepped through it. They stared at each other for a moment before Delirious shot the man in the stomach, he fell before he could raise his gun.

“What was that?” the man said in his ear.

Delirious knelt down to look at the guard who was groaning, blood was beginning to pool. He lowered his voice again, “I think I found the culprit. He’s on the—” he looked up to check the floor number, “third floor staircase, bleeding out.”

“Stay there, I’m sending two guards over. My team is going to check the basement on the north side of the building to see who tripped the alarm, and to check on our prisoners.”

Delirious’s brows creased. “Prisoners?”

“Yes...who is this?”

“Stanley, sir,” Delirious said, rising to his feet and looking at the bottom of the stairs to see two guards at the bottom.

“Stanley? What unit are from?”

“Unit? Sir, I’m not from any unit,” Delirious pointed his gun down, “I’m just here to get my friends.” He aimed and fired his gun at the two soldiers climbing the stairs. The bullets pinged off the railing and stopped the men from climbing, they ducked to the side, raised their guns and fired back.

Delirious stepped back, sniffling. “You might want to send more men, because these two aren’t going to be enough. I’m not leaving until I have my friends back, you son of a bitch.” He took off the comm and fired again until there wasn’t any bullets. He reached down and took the gun from the dying guard, checked the magazine and aimed over the railing. The two guards were still climbing, but they were being cautious.

He went through the door, down the hall and entered a room. He leaned his back against the wall, making sure the gun was ready. It was hot in his hands. He listened to the door opening, to the sounds on the floor, they weren’t moving in pace with each other.

Delirious hefted the gun up, pointed at the hall and fired when the guard came into view. The bullet struck through the helmet and blew out the other end with blood. The body fell as more bullets struck the door frame.

Delirious restrained his movements as the silence drew on with impatience. He took a step to the side, caught sight of a shadow and a voice.

“He killed Thom, I need more people up here. I’m not sure who he is, but he’s skilled, proficient, and armed.”

Delirious wrinkled his nose, stepping closer, tilting his head to the side. He eased the gun downwards where a foot came into view. He took the opportunity and fired. Bullets sprayed from the man as he tumbled backwards.

Delirious stepped out of the room, smiled at the man who realized his gun was empty. “Thanks for the compliments.” He shot the man in the face and checked his magazine again.

The door opened and before he could step back into the room, the bullets sprayed out and got him in the leg. He fell as pain rippled up his leg, making his back tense, his mouth opened, panting low. He squeezed the gun and fired at the first man, who didn’t do a great job when he fell to the side, finger on the trigger and getting the other man. Both bodies fell, only one man was alive, but he’d be dead soon enough.

Delirious laid back, breathing heavily. “There goes my luck.”


	15. endure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanoss looks for his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. :D I'm happy with the ending, I mean there was a lot, and for some weird reason the endings of my stories are usually the longest chapters. I didn't want to split this into two chapters. I wanted this to end with Vanoss's point of view because it started with Vanoss.  
> It's a slow burn, so there aren't many moments where it shows their romance, but I tried, and I don't write romance as well and I'm trying, but I suck at that. :/  
> Anyway, thanks to whoever stuck with me on this, who gave Kudo's and Comments, thanks for reading. :D
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.

“Delirious is here.” 

Vanoss frowned, he stood in the threshold of the hallway and an empty room. He was still looking for Wildcat and Miniladd, but his hope was dwindling by the second. “What?”

“Yeah,” Lui said in his ear, “he’s on the third floor. He managed to neutralize a few soldiers, but he’s shot in the leg. I can see him lying on the floor.”

Vanoss looked up at the ceiling, imagining Delirious in pain with a gun in his hand. “Besides the bullet wound, is he alright?” Vanoss asked, leaving the room and walked into another. Most of the rooms were similar, they held surgical equipment and metal slabs. But there was no sign that anyone had been in the room. Maybe they weren’t here, maybe this was useless.

“He seems alright, he’s getting up...there are two teams going in two different directions,” Lui said, he paused, and Vanoss could hear typing on the other end before he spoke, “you might want to hurry up or get ready for a fight.”

Vanoss looked down at his gun. He only had one, and it wouldn’t be enough for the soldiers that were coming for him. The dark would help, it was practically pitch black in the halls and the rooms, he tried the lights but they wouldn’t work. The basement was dead. 

“I have to find them,” Vanoss said, mostly to himself. He recalled the time when he researched for this facility, for everything in it and out, it made sense to him, but something so small had to kick him off the mission. Now that he was on it again, he knew it was his responsibility to finish it. 

“The other team is going to the third floor, I’m not sure if Delirious can take them with a bullet wound in his leg,” Lui said. 

Vanoss looked back at the door that lead into the basement. “How long?” He headed down the hall and tried opening the door, but it was locked. He frowned, what would they trying to hide.

“For Delirious, maybe twenty-five seconds, and for you, I’m thinking fifteen.”

Vanoss stepped back, raised the gun and fired on the door lock. It came loose in two bullets. He pushed the door open and his brows rose at the sight of Wildcat lying on a metal table, his hand was cuffed to the bar. From the looks of his bruises on his face, he was tortured as well.

“Found Tyler,” Vanoss said, stepping into the room the second the door down the hall was slammed open. He turned and closed the doors. “I don’t know where Miniladd is.”

“There’s only three, so I’m sure you can manage...shit.” Lui’s voice went silent before Vanoss heard the sound of wood slamming together.

Vanoss walked over to Wildcat. “Lui?”

“My hiding spot is compromised,” he said, “I have to move.”

The comm went silent. Vanoss touched the side of the metal table, he prodded Wildcat’s arm where a rounded bruise was and earned himself a low groan. 

“At least you’re still alive,” he whispered, raising his gun and checking the magazine. “This won’t be enough, but I’m not leaving without you.” He moved away from Wildcat and went to the wall next to the door, he listened closely and heard the soft steps on the other side, the whispered voices that clung to each of the soldiers that were drawing near the room he wa sin.

Delirious would have to fend for himself with his wound. He had better things to do than worry, but that was what he did anyway. His heart clenched, gripping the gun, waiting for the inevitable that was about to come.

He was either going to die here, or he was going to make it out alive. He had friends to take care of, friends to think of, and it helped motivate him. He wasn’t going to leave without them.

The door slowly began to open, and Vanoss gritted his teeth, waiting as one of the soldiers entered the room. They were cautious, but they didn’t know fully who they were dealing with. 

Vanoss raised the gun and slammed it at the back of the soldier’s head. Kicking the door the second the bullets sprayed, pinging off the metal as he slammed his foot down on the man’s leg. He fell to his knees and before he could twist around, Vanoss slammed the butt of his gun into the man’s head, smashing the side of his helmet. He pressed his foot down on his gun and kicked it away from him, placing the gun at his neck.

“Stay,” he said, voice low, glancing off to the door. He twisted around the man as it was kicked open, the lights of their guns rose and the bullets hit the body, the armour taking the brunt of the bullets as the man grunted, his body slacking. 

Vanoss raised his gun and fired at the man to his left, a spray of blood crashed through the broken helmet. He kept the gun firmly pointed at the one standing in the center, his own gun raised.

“You might want to lower that,” Vanoss said, rising and letting the body slump on the ground. His hands were shaking, his legs were numb, but he didn’t fall. He wouldn’t let himself.

“Vanoss, is it?” the man asked, “I’m not surprised you made it this far. The reports—”

“The reports,” Vanoss scoffed, “says a lot doesn’t it. You took my friends, tortured them, and I’m mostly surprised why you didn’t just outright kill them. Why keep them alive?”

There has to be a reason, there always was, and he was going to get his. “Lower the gun.”

“I’m not dying down here, kid,” the man said.

“I’m just here for my friends,” Vanoss told him, “answer the fucking question. Why didn’t you kill them?”

The man chuckled, as if what Vanoss said was incredulous. “You know why. It wasn’t just them, but you.”

Vanoss furrowed his brows, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“When we caught your friends, I was going to kill them, a bunch of nuisance trying to steal from this facility. I made sure no one could infiltrate it, and if they did, they’d die. But I got orders, and the orders were to keep your friends alive. As bait.” The man stepped closer and Vanoss stepped back at the same time.

“Bait? What are you talking about?”

“You have a big price on your head.”

Vanoss scowled, “Is this what this is about. My price?”

“I had some men to retrieve you in the city, but you eluded them, or managed to kill them.”

Vanoss swallowed, his mouth was parch. “You were kidnapping my friends and I had to defend myself from people who were trying to kill me. Don’t blame a guy for doing the reasonable thing.”

“And the prices on your heads could easily buy us a new life, away from this bullshit, I wasn’t going to waste this grand opportunity from a bunch of rookies.” 

Vanoss wasn’t sure if the man was joking, he stepped closer, and Vanoss turned to the side. “A bunch of rookies managed to take out your men, one of them found their way back into the facility because he didn’t want his friends to die. I’d say you’re the rookie, you and your pathetic group.”

The man sneered, he tugged on the trigger and it fired, the bullet slammed by Vanoss’s head, and in reflex, Vanoss fired his own gun. Except the man turned at the right second, rushing Vanoss and slamming him into the wall. He grasped Vanoss’s wrist, twisting it until he let out a scream as the gun fell from his hand.

“I’m not going to waste my time anymore, screw the price,” the man said, low in his ear as he kneed Vanoss in the stomach. 

The air rushed out of his lungs and a pain escalated through his body as he closed his eyes tightly, falling to his knees. He felt the nudge of the gun pressed against his head, his own was discarded to the side, too far for him to grasp, he’d be dead before he held it.

Who would he think of in these last moments? Lui who was on the run through the floors above, or even Delirious who had been shot and fending for himself, or even Wildcat and Miniladd, still unconscious and won’t be if this man murders him. But in reality, he thought of the secrets this place held, and the feeling of cold hands on a cold street, of scars and bruises, and a scream, a cry, that elicited a warmth inside of him. Maybe he was crazy for thinking these thoughts that were buried deep inside, but he couldn’t help it. It was his own and his to bare, but never to speak aloud, not when he was about to die.

The man cocked his gun and Vanoss closed his eyes, his heart raced in his chest. The lingering thought of blood and curses still echoed inside his head. Maybe in all this, he should’ve been more honest with himself. He would have done anything to open up that part he closed a long time ago.

How he wished things could have been different, or maybe even then, he would have stayed the same. Closed away and lost within the confines of his lies.

“Fucking asshole,” a low familiar voice spoke and Vanoss opened his eyes the second the gun went off and the blood splattered against his face. He sucked in a breath as the body fell and his ears rung.

Wildcat was knelt on the ground, his hand on Vanoss’s discarded gun. His cuffed hand was raised to strain the sound of the metal. He dropped the gun, almost falling forward.

“Holy shit,” Vanoss said, smearing the blood from his eyes as he reached for his gun, he pointed it at the handcuff and shot it off. Wildcat fell to the ground, groaning. “Thank you, fuck, thank you, I thought I was going to die.”

“And you were going to accept it?” Wildcat asked, glaring up at him. Blood had splattered on his face as well, but not as extensive as Vanoss.

“What was I supposed to do with a gun to my head? Beg for my life?”

Wildcat shook his head, “It would have saved your life. Screw shame.”

“I’d rather keep my pride, to be honest,” Vanoss said, getting up and checking the hall, it was empty from what he could tell. His ears were still ringing, but he could hear something on the other end of his comm. “Here,” he passed Wildcat the earpiece, “I can’t hear what Lui’s saying.”

“And you think I can?” he asked, reaching for the earpiece and putting it into his ear, “hey, Lui, yeah I’m alive, thanks to Vanoss. I saved his life and apparently his pride.”

Vanoss helped Wildcat to his feet and they stepped over the bodies and walked into the hall.

“Lui went to help Delirious,” Wildcat told Vanoss, breathing hard through gritted teeth. Whatever affliction had befallen his friend still burned his skin, he tried his best not to press too hard in case he hurt him. Delirious’s scars came to mind, the lamp light of the street streaked across stitched wounds that had festered, deep and punctured, they would leave long jagged marks that wouldn’t fade. He wondered if Delirious wanted them to fade, or if it didn’t matter and all he cared about was the memory itself to fade away. 

Vanoss nodded, relieved. “He’s still alive.”

Wildcat scoffed, “Nothing can kill Delirious, the bastard is resilient.”

Vanoss didn’t doubt that Delirious was, but there were too many close calls and they were still inside the facility, surrounded by armed soldiers. They could die, they were close to that knife’s edge and if they were cut, that would be it for them. They had to be careful, tread through the darkness and hope a bullet doesn’t fracture their security.

“The best way to get out of here is to go to the helicopter at the top of the building,” Wildcat said, “at least that’s what Delirious told Lui.”

“We still have to find Miniladd.” Vanoss said, letting go of Wildcat’s arm and going back for a gun. He was their only way out of here, and this purpose was his own to hold. He reached for Wildcat in the dark, but he wasn’t there and all he grasped was empty air. 

“Tyler?” he asked, whispering. “Where’d you go?”

“Over here,” Wildcat said from the next room across from him. The gun going off jolted Vanoss to Wildcat’s side, it echoed in his ears as Wildcat pushed open the door. “They liked to have us in individual rooms, close by so we can hear each other scream. Delirious and Lui’s rooms are down here as well if you want to visit where they were tortured.”

Vanoss frowned, looking back at the darkness that swarmed near the rooms he had checked. Any of them could have been the rooms where Delirious and Lui were tortured in, blood cleaned off, and only the walls would have the memory to recall their screams of anguish.  “I’ll pass.”

“He’s right there,” Wildcat said, limping toward the metal table where a figure was lying on. Vanoss checked if Miniladd’s hand was cuffed and sure enough, it was. 

“Wake him up,” Wildcat said, cocking the gun.

Vanoss grabbed a hold of Mini’s arms and shook him, “Wake up.”

A groan left Mini’s lips, he turned his head in the dark. “Vanoss?”

“Lift your arm,” Vanoss told him, looking back at Wildcat, “you can see the chain, right?”

“Kinda.” He fired, breaking the chain. 

“Fuck,” Miniladd said, pushing himself up. “Give a guy a warning.”

“Let’s go,” Wildcat said, already heading for the door, “I want to get the fuck out of here.”

Vanoss helped Miniladd off the table, he shuddered from whatever pain he was experiencing. 

“Thanks for coming for us,” Mini said as they caught up to Wildcat who was already at the door that lead to the staircase. 

“I owed it to you guys to finish the mission,” Vanoss said, smiling in the dark. 

“We’ll thank you properly once we’re out of here,” Wildcat said, pushing open the door, they walked through and headed up the stairs.

“Is the floor clear?” Wildcat asked, stopping on the staircase. “Okay.” He looked back at Vanoss and Miniladd. “Delirious and Lui are taking care of everything upstairs, all we can do is make it to the third floor, head down the hall to the next staircase that leads to the helicopter.”

Vanoss looked up, “Why couldn’t these staircases go straight to the damn roof?”

“Whoever builds this place sucks,” Miniladd commented. 

They climbed the stairs to the third floor and Wildcat pulled the door open. Vanoss looked past him and saw a few bodies lying on the ground, blood sprayed to one side of the walls and floor.

“It’s just like Delirious to make this a creepy horror flick,” Wildcat said, shaking his head.

They walked past the threshold and around the bodies until they were down the hall. Vanoss spotted a pool of blood, a few drops that lead to the door. He figured that was where Delirious got shot.

Wildcat opened the door and they headed upstairs and before he could grasp the door to the roof. It was pushed open and Delirious stood in the doorway with a smile on his lips, a part of his shirt was ripped and was wrapped around his wound. 

“Finally made it,” he said.

Vanoss looked at him, more relieved that he was here and alive and that he didn’t need to think that maybe he wasn’t. All his doubts vanished, but he held up Miniladd and shut out the voice that was rising in his head. 

Delirious lead them toward the helicopter where Lui was starting it up. 

“Get in,” he yelled, the blades were whirring fast as they piled into the helicopter.

The sounds of gunfire cut through the noise and the bullets pinged off the side. Delirious who was in the seat next to Lui pulled out his gun, he reached over and started firing. A look of exhilaration flashed across his features, it was the norm and Vanoss relaxed against the seat as the helicopter rose higher in the sky. 

Wildcat tugged Miniladd toward him and wrapped the belt around him to keep him from falling over. Now that they were out of the darkness, and Vanoss wasn’t worried about anything else beside a barrage of soldiers, he could see the bruises marring Mini’s face and neck. There was probably more underneath his clothes.

Vanoss closed his eyes the entire ride back to the city. Lui lowered the helicopter near an old junkyard. They quickly got out, and Vanoss, who still had his phone on him, called a cab. 

“Shouldn’t we take you guys to the hospital?” Vanoss asked, standing near a flickering light. 

“With guns on us?” Mini asked.

“And torture wounds? I’m pretty those assholes wanted to dissect us, maybe take our organs, fuck that was bad.” He leaned against a metal fence.

“We’ll head back to my place,” Lui said.

“Uh...your place was kinda ransacked, and the police surrounded it,” Vanoss told him, shrugging his shoulders at Lui’s frown. “Sorry. I had to get your laptop and the Crisis operatives followed me there.”

“They did?” Delirious asked, “was that after I left?”

Vanoss nodded. “Yeah. I escaped through the bathroom window...also your window is broken.”

Lui shook his head, “I’ll get a contact to wipe the record, I don’t need police watching my safe house.”

“Anything else you like to share?” Wildcat asked. They spotted the cab rolling up next to them, and they all got in.

“Not really,” Vanoss said, “Ohm and Bryce were attacked by Crisis, I’m sure they’d like to come out of hiding.”

“Yeah, I need to call Cartoonz and Moo, they’re at my apartment,” Delirious said.

Lui told the driver the address and they all stayed quiet the entire drive. Vanoss was next to Delirious in the cab, and having him there still made things too real for him. That they made it out alive, and they were back in the city. He noticed the look from the driver when he spotted the blood splattered on his face, he tried his best to wipe it off before the cab came, but he wasn’t entirely sure if it was all gone.

“How’s your leg?” he asked as they got out of the cab.

Delirious limped, but he still wore a smile on his face. “It won’t kill me.”

“We need to clean it and take the bullet out,” Lui said, walking past him, “then we’ll decide if you’re going to die.”

“Wonderful,” Miniladd murmured as he and Wildcat hobbled toward the building.

It was a warehouse near the storm drain, empty, and unused by anyone but Lui. They entered the building and climbed the steps. Lui grabbed the phone and started making calls, he also grabbed his laptop.

Wildcat and Mini found the couch and sat down. Both of them were drained, their faces weary. 

Vanoss grabbed a water container and filled two plastic cups with water. He passed them the cups and watched them drink it.

“Thanks for saving our asses,” Wildcat said, placing the cup down on the table next to the couch. He gave him a half smile. 

“It shouldn’t have gone down the way that it did,” Vanoss said, running a hand through his hair. “It should have been different.”

“There are worse things that could have happened,” Delirious said, stepping into the room with a cup of water in his hand, “we should thank Lui for managing to get me out of there so I can tell you what was happening.”

Vanoss rolled his eyes. “You were panicking the entire time before we started anything.”

“Hey, if you were tortured with a really sharp knife, I’m pretty sure you’d be fucking panicking as well,” Delirious said, tipping his head back and drinking the water.

The silence between the four of them ached and Vanoss decided to head to the store. He told Delirious to stay with Wildcat and Miniladd. And his walk was slow, and his thoughts were even, but his hands clenched at his sides, fingernails digging into his palms. He knew how Delirious felt when he first came to find him, the panic inducing thoughts that collided with his rational thinking.

He couldn’t help think that this wasn’t the end. There was more operatives left at the facility, and they still hadn’t gotten the files. He didn’t want to ask Lui, he didn’t want to feel the disappointment when he should feel relieved. It was wrong to think that this mission failed, but he thought that.

He bought them each a bottle and a chip bag and headed back to the warehouse. It was mundane to walk up the stairs, to smell the stale air as he passed them their drinks, and opened the bags for them to eat.

Lui told them it’d be a few hours for everything to be set right, that a few of his contacts were watching the roads for anything suspicious. Vanoss didn’t want to think about that, so he sat in a chair and closed his eyes.

“It’s done,” Lui said, standing beside him with his laptop on the table.

Vanoss opened his eyes and noticed that it was a little brighter in the room. Wildcat, Miniladd and Delirious were asleep on the couch, the three of them leaning into each other.

“What’s done?” Vanoss asked, sitting up.

“The files that you requested for me to grab before we left the facility,” Lui said, his voice even, as he glanced at Vanoss. “It wasn’t as well hidden as they thought, at least not from me.”

Vanoss frowned. He wasn’t sure if he heard Lui right. “You got the files?”

“That’s what I said.”

A pain stabbed him in the heart, a shame and guilt rising as he looked off toward the window where the rising sun was making its way into the sky. “You got the files.”

“You really like repeating my words,” Lui said, closing the laptop. “I’ll get some people to sell the information, and we’ll have money by the end of the day, hopefully.”

“What if they come after us?”

Lui turned away, “They won’t, and you know it. We’re too...dangerous for them to go after again, and it’d be stupid if they did.”

Vanoss sighed, but it didn’t relieve his pain, he stood from the chair and opened the window to the far end and climbed out and onto the roof. There was already lawn chairs out there and he sat down one, feeling the brisk wind brush against him.

It wasn’t long until Delirious joined him. He sat beside him and in the silence, Vanoss wiped away a tear and cursed his stress.

“You alright?” Delirious asked.

Vanoss almost laughed. “I should be asking you that. You went through all that shit.”

“You did too, just differently.”

Vanoss looked at Delirious and he trembled under his gaze, that hidden place opened up and he touched it. Reaching out, he grasped the side of Delirious chair, dragging his chair closer, he turned his head to the side.

“I did go through it, I thought of everything, and even when it was destroyed—”

“Don’t think so negatively, Vanoss, you managed and that’s good. That’s what mattered, throughout the bullshit that happened all night, you were able to get through it.”

Vanoss smiled, gripping the side of Delirious’s chair, he looked off to the horizon, to the streaks of light. 

Delirious took his hand and they twined their fingers. Maybe things didn’t go the way they should’ve, and the end was a surprise, a pleasant one that held a comfort from all the pain, and the suffering, and the trauma. 

Vanoss squeezed Delirious’s hand and let that hidden place open up wider, a love he endured, a love he denied, a love he despised, but a love he craved and desired, and one that felt right.

“Stay awake with me,” Vanoss said.

Delirious smiled, “I’m not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a kiss is what most people were waiting for, but I didn't think there should be one. At least when two characters are realizing their feelings for each other with shared trauma and pain.  
> I'm not great with kiss scenes and if I wrote one it'd might seem completely forced and I didn't want to do that.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. :)


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